


At Your Convenience

by AlphaShae, shaetil (AlphaShae)



Category: One Piece
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Fluff, Incomplete, M/M, Modern AU, Multichapter, Romance, ZoSan - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-28
Updated: 2015-06-28
Packaged: 2018-04-06 14:54:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 31,512
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4226100
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlphaShae/pseuds/AlphaShae, https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlphaShae/pseuds/shaetil
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Zoro is an unhappy cashier at a 24-hour convenience store, and everyday the same irritating customers do the same irritating things. Zoro longs for a break; for something to change... until one particularly annoying blonde ruins the routine. Can these opposites stop arguing long enough to find that they attract?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

This asshole came in at the same time every night. Entering in the same shitty way he always did, the fucker, rudely kicked the door open so he didn't have to use his precious hands for anything other than texting. Zoro scowled at him, knowing he'd be scrubbing yet another damn scuff mark off the door. The shitty customer went straight back to the beverage station without bothering to look up from his fucking phone even once. It was a shame, but even though Zoro wished really, really hard, the bastard never tripped.

Zoro's left eyebrow twitched in irritation and he drummed his fingers impatiently against the register while he watched the idiot's every move. Just like always, the fucker started to make himself a small cup of coffee by grabbing a handful of sugar packets and dumping them onto the counter. For some reason he always put the cream and sugar in first before going over and taking the fucking lids off the coffee carafes to peer inside - presumably to judge which brew was less shitty. Then he would finally, FINALLY pour the coffee into his damn cup. Rolling his eyes, Zoro knew what was coming next. He watched the bastard raise the coffee to his lips for a sip, make a sour expression, fucking pour out some of the brew into the goddamn trashcan instead of the nearby sink, and then proceed to add more of whatever he had apparently decided that his damn coffee needed. Sometimes he would go through this whole ritual several times before he finally came up to the register. Zoro figured by now that this guy owed them money for at least twenty small coffees' worth of hot liquid poured straight into the garbage - and that was just for the last month.

Seeing the guy finish up his coffee routine, Zoro wordlessly pulled out two packs of Lucky Strike cigarettes and slapped them on the counter before adding two books of matches to the pile. Zoro waited impassively while the shitty customer set down his coffee near the register and rubbed his hand through his stupid, asymmetrical emo-haircut. Honestly, who styled their hair so that they had long bangs covering half their face? Also the fact that it was super blonde made it even worse. His face was shitty to look at too - it was probably the reason the guy covered half of it. There were dark circles under the one eye that Zoro could see properly, and tonight he looked just as wrung-out as usual.

Zoro resumed tapping his fingers; keeping time to the clock in his head as the blonde fucker flicked through the contents of his wallet. He was rewarded with a flash of irritation on the customer's face as the fucker's eyes flicked from his wallet, to Zoro's fingers, and back again. He stopped tapping before the guy got mad. He didn't feel like getting cussed out by anyone today.

The blonde sighed as he inspected the contents of his wallet before looking at him again with that tired, blue eye. "Better make it three packs."

Zoro nodded curtly before re-totaling the transaction and grabbing the other pack of Luckies. "That's twenty-seven and fifty-three." Zoro's voice was flat and unimpressed as he watched the customer dig out a few bills from among a sea of receipts.  
When the blonde finally held out his money, Zoro glanced over the bills and rubbed them between his fingers to check for extras. "Out of thirty dollars?"

The blonde nodded, and Zoro punched the last key, experiencing a small feeling of satisfaction at the opening ding of the register drawer. "Here's your change. Have a good night." Zoro handed over the two dollars and forty-seven cents, and watched the dumbass leave with his stupid hairstyle.

It was just like every other night.

Zoro didn't even need to look at his clock; he knew by now that the blonde always came in around two hours before Zoro's shift ended. That meant Zoro had two more fucking hours of little old ladies giving his hair and his piercings dirty looks, sloppy-ass drunks cracking explicit jokes, and fat bitches who didn't seem to own shirts that would actually contain their flabby boobs. Zoro hated this job, but right now working at this store was the best way he had to pay his bills.

One day he would be out of this place. He had dreams and plans that he refused to abandon. However, until life began to work in his favor once more, Zoro had to resign himself to the soul numbing repetition of a forty-plus hour work week as a shitty cashier.

Suddenly, the shitty blonde came stomping back into the store, and all at once the usual routine for the night was upended. Zoro eyed the customer cautiously as he approached the counter, red and angry. "Do you have a set of fucking jumper cables?"

Zoro blinked, trying to remember if he still had a set of cables in his trunk, and apparently the idiot blonde took that as an indication that he hadn't been heard. "My car is dead. I need a jump."

"Yeah."

"What?"

"I have a set. Wait a minute."

Zoro locked his register, wandered to the office and stuck his head inside the doorway. "Luffy, this guy needs help getting his car started. Can you watch the register?"

Tilting back the brim of his obnoxiously yellow ball-cap - the one that had a thick red stripe running off-center from bill to back - Luffy chuckled, "That sounds like fun! Don't worry. I'll protect the money, Zoro!"

Zoro rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Just don't let anyone walk out without paying, or Nami will cut you apart and eat you for breakfast with a side of toast."

"Toast! I want the toast too! Give me some! It's not fair if Nami gets it all!"

"THERE'S NO TOAST!" Zoro took a breath to calm himself, and rubbed at his forehead. "There are some mints in the drawer up front. You can eat those."

"Shishishishishi!" Luffy ran up to the front, already drooling, and Zoro was already regretting all of this as he followed the blonde back outside.

"It must be rough to have a coworker like that."

"That's the owner." Zoro's deadpan manner was only betrayed by the tortured twitch of one eye.

The blonde looked at him with a wide blue eye. "You're shitting me!" Zoro slowly shook his head and the blonde peered back over his shoulder at the store, "Damn. I didn't realize. I had always thought he was some idiot teenager the manager hired as a favor to someone."

Zoro snorted as he dug his keys from his black jeans. "Nope. That guy is the actual owner."

The conversation died and lay there somewhat awkwardly as Zoro hunted through the trunk of his crappy pontiac. He stifled his irritation with the blonde hovering uncomfortably over his shoulder and focused on finding the damn cables. Finally, he dragged the much-needed equipment from a dark corner and turned back to his customer. "Where are you parked?"

His eyebrows shot to his hairline when the blonde pointed out a sleek, blue jaguar. "Nice car."

"Thanks." The blonde jogged over to his car and opened the trunk. He turned and shouted so Zoro could hear him clearly, "The battery is in the back so jusjt pull up to here!"

Zoro nodded and ducked into his own vehicle. He carefully pulled up behind the other vehicle; creeping the last few feet before hurriedly applying his brakes. The last thing he needed was to scratch or dent a car worth more than his yearly salary.

It didn't take too long for the two men to set everything up and make the first attempt to resuscitate the jaguar's battery. Unfortunately, it became apparent after an increasing amount of time and several tries, that the blue luxury vehicle wasn't going anywhere, anytime soon. They both reentered the store, feeling agitated and messy. Leaving the blonde to his own devices, Zoro went to wash his hands, drying them casually on his yellow work apron. His irritation faded into a feeling of just plain tired as he he looked at the clock; still one hour and fifteen minutes to go. He scratched the fingers of one hand through his short, green hair in a self-soothing gesture, and strolled unhurriedly back out to the register.

"Shishishishishi! So cool!" Zoro raised an eyebrow. The emo-blonde and Luffy were both leaning on the countertop, apparently now all buddy-buddy. Luffy beamed a massive smile in his direction and Zoro unintentionally flinched. "Hey, Zoro! Guess what? Sanji is a really great cook!"

"Chef." The blonde quickly interjected.

"…and he'll bring me some muffins!"

Zoro rolled his eyes. No wonder Luffy was being friendly. "Good for you."

Luffy pranced away from the counter, letting Zoro reclaim his space. "Since Sanji has to wait for the tow truck, it's okay for him to drink as much coffee as he likes!"

Zoro gritted his teeth. Oh boy, Nami had better not find out about this! "Are you sure?"

"Yup!" Luffy stopped and turned eager, dark eyes on his new friend, "Can you make meat muffins?"

Sanji appeared to choke. "Er… sure."

"Yay! Meat!"

Luffy vanished with a bound and left the two men standing in silence. Zoro scowled at the countertop, his fingers restlessly fussing with a loose penny on top of the cash drawer. "Um." Zoro's dark eyes snapped up to meet the customer's blue-eyed gaze, "I guess I'll take your owner up on his offer and grab another coffee?"

"Go ahead." Zoro sighed and stared dully after Sanji's retreating form. The thought of more liquid in the trash - where it was most definitely not supposed to go - made him grind his teeth in frustration. Was it really that fucking difficult to walk three steps to the shitty sink?

A few other customers came up to the counter and thankfully gave him something else to do as Zoro did his best not to watch that damn annoying coffee ritual. After precisely eight minutes of fucking around with his drink, the shitty blonde apparently felt, mistakenly, that Zoro wanted his company. Not for the first time, Zoro wished he could just walk away and fuck off into the back room for the rest of his shitty shift, but leaving the register to Luffy was just trouble waiting to happen. Nami would put his head on a pike if there was another incident like the infamous 'coupon caper'.

There was more uncomfortable silence, as Sanji leaned on Zoro's counter and stared out the dark window into the night. The blonde squirmed around like a child, shifting from foot to foot, before apparently caving in to some misguided need to try and make small talk. "So, Zoro... Do you like working here?"

"No." Zoro's answer was as sharp and direct as his glare.

"Oh."

More awkward hanging about nearly made Zoro snap and plead with the customer to go fuck with another cashier in another convenience store. He gritted his teeth when the fucker turned to ask what would no doubt be a stupid question, "Do you dye your hair yourself?"

Fucking hell, this guy was the shitty worst! "No. I don't dye my hair!"

Sanji turned fully to stare, "I'm not stupid. Of course you get your hair dyed! I just thought that it looked pretty well done."

"I don't dye my hair." Zoro spat out each word from between his tightly clenched teeth.

"Prove it. There's no way your hair is really green!"

With that, Zoro's tenuous hold on his temper snapped. "It's none of your damn business anyway! I don't have to prove anything to you! Why do you wear your shitty hair like a depressed teenager?"

"Fuck you! It's called style! Something you obviously don't know anything about! Shitty moss-man!"

"Fucking cyclops!"

"Asshole!"

"Bastard!"

"Uh, someone called for a tow?" Both men jerked back from snarling in each other's faces and refocused matching scowls on the poor tow-truck driver.

"That's me." Sanji pushed off the counter and followed the driver outside. Before he left, he flipped Zoro off and sneered from the doorway, "This isn't over, shitty cashier!"

That did it! Next time he saw the blonde, Zoro was going to stuff that asshole into the garbage compactor and use the smelly machine to smash the shit out of him! Zoro didn't even bother trying to hide the murderous anger in his expression as a jittery teen came to the counter with a soda. The clock read eleven thirty-two and that meant there was still another half hour that he would be fucking stuck here. Zoro growled as he scanned the can of cola and the pimply teen nearly pissed himself. "That's one dollar and nine."

He spent the rest of his shift fuming. Where did that prick get off treating him like shit when he'd only tried to help? And he'd been nosy as hell too! Why the fuck did people care about his hair color so much?! Green is a very natural color!

When the next cashier finally came in to relieve him, Zoro nearly bolted from the register. Luffy snickered in the office as he watched Zoro struggle into his beat-up jacket while trying to clock out at the same time. Usopp scratched his curly, black hair and wondered what on earth had gotten into his coworker as Zoro cursed and struggled with his jacket zipper. "Hey Luffy? Did something happen?"

"Nah. Zoro just called Sanji some funny names, and Sanji screams real loud when he's mad!"

"Uh… who's Sanji?"

"A fucking one-eyed jackass, that's who!" Zoro glared at his coworkers, making Usopp cringe and Luffy chuckle harder before he stormed out of the store. He was going to give that fucker a piece of his mind when he came in tomorrow night!

He was going to make that bastard sorry he'd messed with a guy like him!

The next day Zoro felt almost cheerful as he imagined finally putting that asshole in his place. He didn't notice how the dark grin on his face was making half his clients nearly piss themselves; he was too busy fantasizing about what he would say to that damn blonde to cut him down. As it got later he watched eagerly for that blue jaguar, but the usual time ticked by and Zoro started to wonder if the fucker wasn't coming... "Maybe he hasn't gotten his car fixed yet?"

Luffy stopped by the register on his way to do... whatever; his finger grossly digging around in his nose, "Who are you talking about?"

"That blondie. He hasn't come yet."

"Hmmm." Luffy grinned before slapping Zoro's shoulder with the hand he'd been using to pick his nose, "Don't worry! He'll come for sure!"

Zoro snarled and flinched away from Luffy's contaminated touch, "I'm not worried! I'm going to give that bastard a piece of my min...d."

Sanji appeared so suddenly that Zoro actually startled a little, and he stared wide-eyed as he shuffled past them to the coffee without giving Zoro so much as a glance. Self-absorbed shithead... Zoro scowled and crossed his arms. Goddammit. He'd been SO close to going a day without seeing this fucker!

"SANJIIII!" Luffy abandoned their conversation and bounded over to the blonde by the coffee.

Zoro's mood soured as he watched Luffy chatting animatedly to the visibly uninterested blonde. Suddenly he just didn't feel like dealing with this anymore. Fuck telling the guy off - he hadn't glanced once in Zoro's direction and obviously didn't give a shit about how he'd been an ass yesterday.

Putting up the closed sign on his register, Zoro walked out from behind the counter. Luffy could deal with the rest of the customers. Zoro was going to put soda on the cooler shelves where no one would talk to him or piss him off, and if Luffy set the damn store on fire he honestly didn't give a fuck.

"Hey!" Zoro looked back to see the blonde bastard standing by the closed register frowning at him, "What the hell? Aren't you going to take care of my purchase?!"

Zoro smirked. Like hell was he going to go over there and serve that fucker! He watched the fury grow on the blonde's face with satisfaction as he opened the cooler door and stepped inside. Unable to resist, Zoro stuck his arm out where he knew the asshole could see it and flipped him off quickly before strolling to the far aisle of the cooler with a spring in his step.

Feeling that he'd properly given that jerkoff a taste of his own medicine, Zoro stocked the cooler cheerfully until the end of his shift. Seeing that it was time to go on his old watch, Zoro grabbed the boxes he'd emptied to throw them out back. Luffy called out to him on his way to the delivery door, "Zoro!"

Well he was probably in trouble, but it had been worth it to get that guy back even a little. Luffy grinned at him, "You missed something funny! Sanji was all red and he was talking funny too! He used bad words I've never heard before!" Zoro grinned at that while Luffy tapped his chin thoughtfully, "I wonder if he was upset because of his job? He told me that a bad person caused trouble today and he had a hard time fixing stuff."

So the rich fucker had to deal shitty work stuff too? Well then he had even less of an excuse to be the fucking asswipe that he was yesterday! He should know what it's like to work this kind of a job! Zoro snorted, "Serves him right."

Luffy just shrugged and smiled before going back to unwrapping straws and shoving them together with one end squeezed into another to make ugly necklaces and bracelets. Zoro rolled his eyes and left him to it. As he threw out the trash and then clocked out for the night, Zoro really hoped that the fucker would be too pissed at him to come back.

Of course he couldn't ever get that kind of luck.

The next day was one of those days where he just couldn't catch a break. He'd skipped breakfast because he hadn't gone grocery shopping yet that week, and consequently he'd felt sick all through his first job. He'd fucking managed to hurt himself too because he'd hadn't been paying attention to what he was doing, and now he had a nice dark bruise on his side the size of a dinner plate. Plus he ended up being a few minutes late for his shift at the Sunny Mart. He hated being late.

As soon as he was clocked in for his shift and had put on his work apron, the inventory manager, Nami called him into the office, "Zoro, you're a friend and you've worked here a long time, but you need to improve your attitude. I just got a complaint this morning from a regular customer who said that you have him the finger last night?!"

Zoro slouched in his metal folding chair and grumbled, "He's a dick."

Nami scowled, "I don't like him either - he's a total creep. BUT that doesn't mean we can treat him badly! I'm not asking you to be sweet to him or anything, but you MUST be professional. Okay?"

"Fine." Zoro growled out the word from between gritted teeth. He didn't need this shit. He had more than his share of problems at home... Especially with the shitty grocery store prices going up again.

"You okay? You look kind of sick...?" Nami reached out, her forehead wrinkled in concern, but Zoro avoided her touch and stood abruptly. His problems were his own and he didn't need any help. He had everything under control.

"I'm fine. I'll go check and see if we have any chips that need to go out on the shelf." He paused in the office doorway, "Is Luffy coming in tonight?"

"No he needed the night off so I'm working a double." Nami pouted.

"Oh, okay." Zoro sighed. Whenever Luffy worked he would let Zoro take home some of the expired food, but it seemed that he wouldn't be eating today. He would rather swallow glass than give Nami the idea that he needed that kind of 'charity'. He was only okay with Luffy giving him food because the crazy fucker ate the rest of it himself.

Zoro dragged his feet over to the coffee and made himself a cup with lots of creamer. Creamer was kind of like food, right? Either way the coffee was sure to help him feel less tired and maybe help distract him from the ache in his side.

The next seven hours were excruciating. Nami was bitchy - obviously unhappy about working a double, and she didn't stop nagging him about tasks all day. Of course it was a fucking Friday night too, so they were fucking busy as hell - and many of the customers were shitty teenagers glued to their damn phones. Zoro HATED when people couldn't stop being on their phones long enough to complete a simple transaction; especially when they took forever digging around in their wallets with one hand because they weren't paying attention... By the time that blonde bastard showed up, Zoro was feeling positively homicidal.

Instead of going back to fuck around with the coffee like usual, the motherfucker made a beeline for Zoro. He was wearing this infuriating smirk as he sidled up to the counter, and Zoro carefully schooled his face into a blank expression as he crossed his arms to keep himself from strangling the bastard on sight, "Can I help you?"

"Oh? So you're going to actually do your job today? Your manager must have talked to you." The blonde shook his head, "It's a shame that such a sweet, capable woman would have to work with a shitty caveman like you!"

Zoro gritted his teeth, "I'm sorry, but if you're not going to actually BUY anything then I need to ask you to step away from the register so I can assist other customers."

Looking around at the empty store first, the blonde turned back to Zoro with a malicious glint in his eye, "There's no one here..."

Zoro rolled his eyes and turned his back on the annoying prick, opening the storage drawer to rummage through the boxes of cigarettes and see what he could fit on the shelves. The blonde watched him in silence for a few moments, leaning on the counter, "Hey...?" Zoro grunted but refused to look at the blonde, "Are you feeling okay?"

Startled, Zoro turned and scowled, "Why?!"

The blonde replied with a shrug, "Nevermind. Can I get two packs of cigarettes?"

Zoro put the usual brand on the counter and grabbed the matches too, "No coffee?"

"I don't have any paperwork to do tonight so I can actually go to bed early for once."

"Must be nice." Zoro took the jerk's money and dropped his change on the counter - not caring when a few coins rolled off onto the floor, "Oops."

The blonde scooped it up and glared, "Asshole."

"Whatever. Go to some other shitty store for a change, would you?"

"Fuck you! I'll be here tomorrow! Hopefully they'll finally fire your ass and I'll get some decent service!"

Zoro smirked, "Not likely."

"How long have you worked here anyway? Can't get promoted? Or don't you qualify?" The blonde sneered, "Or maybe you're just too dumb?"

Barely resisting the urge to punch the blonde in his stupid face, Zoro snarled, "Not all of us are born rich assholes! I don't have to be a genius to know that a pathetic prick like you couldn't handle my job!"

His words seemed to really bother the shitty blonde, and he growled before stomping out the door, "You know jack shit about me... Fuck you!"

The blonde FINALLY left in a huff, and Zoro kicked the wooden shelving under his register, wanting to scream and curse. He HATED that guy! Next time he saw him coming he was going to lock the damn doors!

The last few hours of the shift crawled by, and Zoro was still pissed about that shitty blonde. He'd just taken things too far when he'd started to insult Zoro's job and his intelligence. There was nothing wrong with working in a convenience store! It wasn't like he had glamorous job offers beating down his door, and his jobs paid the bills... Most of the bills anyway.

He was still fuming when Usopp came in to relieve him. He bid his coworkers a curt goodbye before storming out of the store. On his way home, Zoro exceeded the speed limit and blew through a few stop signs before he calmed himself down. It wouldn't do him any good to think about brutal murder without the actual person present anyway. Refusing to let emo-blonde fuck up his thoughts any longer, Zoro put his blinker on and pulled into his apartment lot. He took the stairs instead of the creaky old elevator, and jogged up to the fifth floor. It felt good to exercise. He was sweating lightly and panting by the time he reached his landing, and the dull ache in his side had worsened to sharp pain. It wasn't anything he couldn't sleep off though.

He counted the room numbers as he passed the apartment doors; room five-oh-eleven, room five-oh-twelve -Zoro knocked on the door and stepped back. It didn't take long for him to hear the heavy footsteps headed his way. The door flew open, and a giant of a man grinned down at him. "Hey bro! Come right in!"

Zoro returned the smile, "Thanks for looking after him again, Franky. He wasn't any trouble was he?"

Franky shook his shaved head, "He's a super good kid, Zoro. He fell asleep trying to wait for you though."

His smile grew as he entered the small living room with Franky at his heels. A small boy with fluffy brown hair was snuggled around a pillow on the couch, fast asleep. Zoro moved to gently shake one thin shoulder. "Come on. It's time to go."

"Mmmfrrg."

Zoro laughed and simply scooped up the child, pillow and all. "We'll give it back tomorrow, okay?"

Franky nodded, "Super okay by me! Goodnight, Zoro. Goodnight, Tony!"

Sleepy brown eyes peeked over Zoro's shoulder. "G'night."

Zoro balanced his burden expertly as he closed Franky's door after him, and dug in his jeans for his own apartment key. His door was one over from Franky's, and Zoro shifted Tony in his arms so he could better access the lock. The bolt clicked, and Zoro maneuvered them inside.

"I want to sleep with you."

Zoro sighed as he tossed his keys toward a table that was invisible in the dark, and stumbled out of his sneakers. "You're too old for that." He made the mistake of looking down into watery brown eyes and a pouting expression. He caved instantly. "Fine, but you have to make sure you brush your teeth, okay?"

Tony nodded eagerly and wriggled out of his arms. Zoro rubbed his aching side and listened to the pattering of small feet as Tony scurried around in his bedroom; the manipulative little shit didn't even seem tired anymore. Zoro smiled and yawned, going about the business of shedding his uniform and locating his favorite pajama pants. He slept on the pullout couch in the living room so Tony could have his own space in the little two-room apartment. As a consequence, his clothes were piled messily in various corners and it was annoying to find anything. He was too tired to really care about finding a shirt, so he just pulled on sweats, brushed his teeth, and stumbled to the couch - yanking it out and flopping onto the shitty mattress. Grumbling, he reached blindly over the edge of the 'bed' and found his pillow and blanket. Finally ready to sleep, he flipped on the tv, turning the sound down low, and after a few minutes he heard his son trot out from the bathroom. Tony crawled over him - getting a bony knee in his tender side - until he was in place to curl against his back.

"Goodnight, daddy."

"Mmm, goodnight Chopper, buddy."  
The warm, affectionate rumble had Tony snuggling closer under the blanket. They both fell asleep quickly. The comfort of each other's warmth allowing them to feel relaxed and secure.


	2. Chapter 2

Zoro stirred reluctantly, his internal clock telling him it was time to be awake. He grumbled, and blindly reached for Tony to shake him awake, but his hand patted fruitlessly against empty sheets. "Dammit."

Tony was up before him again. It must almost be time for school. Zoro rolled himself out of bed, and staggered into the bathroom. His movements were stiff and pained, and his side was hurting him much worse today. Had he cracked a rib?

Grimacing at the sharp sting, Zoro carefully prodded at the dark bruise on his side and examined it in the little bathroom mirror. He didn't feel a major break in the bones, but it hurt like fuck to breathe deeply, or to bend in any way. He'd just have to be careful for a while. There was no way he'd be able to pay for a hospital visit with the rent due this coming week.

Moving gingerly, Zoro took his morning piss, washed his hands and emerged from the bathroom considerably more awake. He found Tony already dressed, and eating at their tiny kitchen table. Zoro eyed the glass of water and the bowl of dry cereal with some guilt. It was great that the kid was smart enough to do things like this, but it made Zoro feel like a crappy parent when Tony took care of himself to let him sleep longer.

"Hey, Tony-Tony, what do you want to take to school with you today? We have peanut butter and jelly, peanut butter and a banana, or peanut butter and peanut butter."

Tony giggled, "That's stupid, you can't put peanut butter on peanut butter!"

Zoro grinned and waggled his eyebrows, "You think so huh? Pick a sandwich, brat, or you're just getting bread!"

"Banana!" Tony watched as Zoro gathered the ingredients before blurting out, "Don't forget to cut off the crusts!"

"Sure, sure…" Zoro began to carefully cut off the generic brand bread's thin crust with a butter knife.

Tony quietly pushed away his cereal and sipped at his water as he watched Zoro wrap the sandwich in plastic. Zoro frowned at the handful of cereal he saw left in the bowl, "Are you done?"

"Yes!" Tony chirped and set his glass on the table.

"Well then go brush your teeth."

Zoro hunted for a juice box in the refrigerator as Tony left the room. When he found it, he put the sandwich and the juice in a paper bag, and hesitated a moment before putting the last pudding cup in there too. He dared to steal a glance at the clock and groaned, "Shit!"

The bus would be here any minute!

Zoro hurriedly joined Tony in the bathroom where he briefly attempted to tame fuzzy brown hair while Tony brushed his teeth. Apparently his son still needed some help dressing, because now he noticed that the little guy's socks were different colors, and his shirt was inside out. Zoro didn't have time to fix any of this. Why hadn't he remembered to set his damn alarm?

"Sorry Chopper buddy, but we don't have any more time to de-fuzz you today."

Tony shrugged his thin shoulders. "S'okay."

"Let's go." Ignoring the intense spike of pain in his side, Zoro threw a giggling Tony over his shoulder and jogged for the door; snatching up the small sneakers and pink backpack by the entrance in the process. He nearly forgot the damn sandwich, and had to go back for the paper bag, before tearing through the hall and down all the stairs.

The bus was waiting when Zoro ran up, sweating and red in the face. He wheezed painfully as he apologized to the driver, "S-sorry about this Mrs. Garderen." She only smirked at him, and Zoro realized he was still shirtless, in his pajamas and barefoot. His face reddened all the way to his ears from embarrassment. He must look like an idiot.

But he didn't have any more time to waste feeling dumb; Tony had to go to school. "Put your shoes on in the bus, okay?" Zoro leaned to set Tony inside the vehicle, but the little boy squeezed his arms around Zoro's neck and wouldn't let go. He sighed as he tried to loosen his son's tight hold, "Tony…"

"I love you, daddy."

There was suddenly a lump in his throat the size of an orange, and Zoro swallowed thickly as he gave his precious kid a quick squeeze, "Love you too, Chopper buddy."

Tony smiled brightly. He let go and grabbed his things from Zoro's arms, before bounding past the still smirking bus driver and climbing into a seat next to his little friend, Sabo. Zoro stepped back and waved as the bus pulled away. It was weird to think that Tony was already in the first grade. Had it really already been six years?

Zoro stood staring until the bus completely vanished. Now that the morning chaos was over with, he just felt drained and his damn side ached like a bitch. Stupid cracked ribs... A few whistles and catcalls from passing drivers made Zoro blush, reminding him of his state of undress. Flipping off a leering passerby, Zoro hurried back inside to shower and start his day.

The apartment felt empty without Tony running all over the place. Zoro showered and dressed in silence, but he just couldn't stand the lack of noise anymore after that. He flipped on the television while he hunted through the cabinets for breakfast. There was Tony's cereal, the stuff for Tony's sandwiches and one package of instant ramen. Zoro sighed and quickly swallowed down the unwanted crusts from the kid's sandwich with a glass of water before pouring the leftover cereal back in its box. It looked like he wouldn't be eating again today. There just wasn't any extra money for groceries until his next payday and he needed to make sure Tony was taken care of first. Maybe he could convince Luffy to let him take home some of the expired groceries?

Zoro checked the time and immediately went for his car keys. He had to get going. He had to work both jobs again today, and his boss at his first job would give him hell if he was late. Although his duties at the gym were going to be hell anyway with his injuries... As he raced to his car and revved the engine, he couldn't help but feel that speeding was becoming an all too frequent habit, but it was worth it when he made it just in time to begin his gruelling shift.

The morning passed in a blur of sweat and pain, but Zoro stuck it out and before he knew it, he had to get home to meet the school bus.

Again, Zoro found himself violating numerous traffic laws to get home before the bus arrived and he had to remind himself to slow down a little and not to push his luck too much. He barely had enough time to park in the apartment building's run-down parking garage and run out to the front before the bright yellow vehicle pulled up. The driver quirked an eyebrow at him after she opened the bus door, "Are you feeling alright Mr. Roronoa? You look like you're going to pass out or hurl."

Zoro scowled and grumbled, "I'm fine. I just had to run to get here "

His side was throbbing painfully and he did feel a little sick, but that wasn't anybody's business; especially not a near-stranger like his son's bus driver! She gave him a stern look, "Well make sure your son doesn't catch it or he can't come to school."

"I said I'm not sick! Thank you again for waiting for us this morning."

"Anytime. Bye Tony!"

Tony waved goodbye to the bus driver before grabbing Zoro's hand and chattering happily about school as they walked inside their building. Zoro felt like a bad parent as he listened, knowing he only had a half hour to shower again and get ready for his second job. As much as he wanted to stay and listen to Tony talk about school, Sabo, and the frog they had found at recess, he just didn't have the time.

"Ready to go hang out with Franky?" He ruffled Tony 's hair as they climbed the stairs to their floor.

Tony pouted, "I want to stay with you!"

Zoro sighed and hoped that this wouldn't turn into a fight, "I need you to stay and keep Franky company so I can work. Can you do that for me Chopper buddy?"

Tony's lower lip stuck out and began to tremble as his brown eyes threatened tears, but the little boy nodded and Zoro smiled, "That's my little man. So what happened to that frog?"

He listened to Tony talk about how the teacher had let them put the frog in an empty aquarium and how they had named it Barto. Kids were weird. All too soon they were back in front of their neighbor's apartment and the big man answered on the second knock, "Hey you two! Tony are you ready to do a super job on your homework?"

Tony gave the man a small smile and grabbed Franky's waiting hand. Zoro handed Franky his son's backpack, "I promise I'll pay you next Friday."

"Don't stress about it bro! I know the rent is due and things are tight. You can just wait a while if it's easier."

Zoro scowled, "That's not necessary. I'll pay you on time like we agreed." He didn't need anyone's charity. He was careful with his money, and everything would be fine as long as he stuck to his plan.

Franky shrugged, "I'm just trying to help a friend out bro. So I'll see you at one?"

"Yeah. Bye Tony-Tony!" His son looked unhappy as he waved back and it made him feel shitty. Right then he wanted nothing more than to forget about his damn job and just spend the day with his kid. As Franky closed the door and he went to his own apartment to get ready, he reminded himself that it wouldn't have to be much longer. If they could just get through this one rough patch, Zoro would be able to do all the fun things that Tony wanted. They both just had to be strong for a few more years.

By the time Zoro arrived for his shift at the Sunny Mart he was just in a plain old bad mood. His side was hurting much worse than it had been that morning - obviously aggravated by his work earlier at the gym. The first thing he did when he got in the door was get a coffee with lots of cream and head straight back to the first aid kit in the employee break room. After rummaging through the kit he found some pain reliever that he quickly swallowed down before heading out to the register.

"Hey, Zoro!" Luffy grinned at him as he approached the counter, "The delivery truck called. They're coming in ten minutes."

"Fuck…!" Zoro snarled. Usually the delivery arrived at the end of his shift and he didn't have to deal with it. The last thing he wanted to do today was lift heavy boxes and bend over all night to put shit away. His side throbbed painfully just thinking about it. "Why is it coming so fucking early?!"

Luffy shrugged, "They said they had to change their route so it'll be coming earlier now."

It seemed he just couldn't ever catch a break. He sighed as he trudged over to stand behind the register. Luffy shuffled to the side to give him room and grinned at him, "I'll go open the delivery door! I can't wait to see the cool stuff they bring us!"

"Isn't it all shit that YOU ordered? What's there to be excited about?" Zoro grumbled as Luffy bounded away.

Stupid fucking delivery. Zoro scowled when the workers began to bring in towers of boxes and crates. The scruffy pair of delivery men avoided meeting his angry gaze as they scurried back and forth. Cursing under his breath, Zoro strode over to the nearest pile of boxes and began the arduous task of opening each one and putting the contents away.

Between the mountain range of boxes and the steady of stream of customers needing help at the register, Zoro was kept busy for the next few hours. Groaning, he crouched to put away yet another shitty box of chips. How fucking many kinds did they need anyway? It felt like he had put away at least fifty varieties in this tiny store!

"Excuse me…"

Zoro glanced up and scowled when he saw that goddamn blonde looking down at him. Fucking emo-blonde... Zoro groaned internally. Couldn't the asshole have just gone to some other shitty store for once?

Instead of going on back to fuck around with the coffee like usual, the asshole fastened that piercing blue eye right on Zoro and smirked. "Hey there fuckface." Zoro sneered in response, "Is the owner here? I brought muffins."

Zoro suddenly noticed the small tupperware container that the blonde was holding. "Yeah. He's in the back." Zoro took a deep breath, "LUFFY!" He smirked in satisfaction when the blonde flinched at the volume of his voice. Totally worth the aching ribs.

"ZOROOOOO!" Oh crap. He hadn't thought this through. Luffy came flying out of the back, looking for all the world like a happy puppy with his tongue hanging out and everything.

"SANJI!" Lucky for Zoro, his monster of a boss diverted his attention to the chef on sight.

The blonde reacted impressively fast to the incoming danger, and planted a foot on Luffy's chest keeping the enthusiastic maniac from leaping on him in greeting. "Hi, Luffy."

"I waited so looooong! Did you bring me meat?"

Sanji grinned and hefted the tupperware container. "Yep!"

Zoro blinked and the container miraculously vanished from Sanji's hands. Luffy was already halfway back to the office when he remembered his manners. "Ffank thyu Thanji!"

"Did you really make him meat muffins?"

"They're maple and brown sugar with bacon bits inside, and a hickory bacon garnish."

That actually sounded good. Zoro shot Sanji a look of surprise. The chef observed Zoro's expression and smirked, "Why? Did you want some?"

"Fuck no." Zoro snorted, "I'd rather chew nails than swallow whatever poison a shitty cook like you is sure to serve."

The blonde's eye narrowed, "Excuse me?! Like a shitty shop boy would know anything about fine dining! My food is too good for a shithead like you! I wouldn't let you eat it if you were the only other person on earth!"

Zoro growled and struggled to his feet. "And I would eat twigs before your slop! I'd rather starve than eat something some self-absorbed prick offered me to boost his own shitty ego!"

He set his jaw and clenched his fists when the angry blonde stepped closer - his blue eye icy and furious. He couldn't afford to get fired, but he wasn't about to sit and take it while this motherfucker talked down to him. He may be too poor to eat in whatever shitty dive this fucker worked, but that didn't give this shit cooker the right to talk to him like a mangy animal in the alley.

"Zoro! Do you want a muffin?" Luffy interrupted as he approached, drooling all over the slightly squished muffin he was holding too tightly. "Nami said I need to share food more often or she will staple my mouth shut! How will I eat the chocolates she keeps behind the receipt folder on the top shelf in the office then?!"

Hearing the name of their witch of a manager took all the fight out of Zoro. He ignored the man fuming right in front of him and looked past the blonde to roll his eyes at Luffy, "You can have it. I'll tell her you offered if she asks…"

The muffin vanished so fast that Zoro didn't actually see Luffy's hand move, "Ffanks Zowo!"

He sensed the blonde cook cringe, and smirked. Luffy's horrendous manners must be extra repulsive to a pompous fucker like him... Luffy's eyes glittered at him from under the brim of his yellow ballcap as he licked his fingers, "Zoro, were you fighting with Sanji?"

Zoro stiffened and shot a glance at the shitty blonde. That blue eye met his gaze squarely and he could see that he was still pissed by the tension in his face and the anger burning in his stare. Zoro's shoulders slumped. He might as well 'fess up and take his lumps. Maybe Luffy wouldn't fire him since he didn't actually HIT the stupid fucker. "We just had a… disagreement. I told him that I didn't want any of his dumb food."

Luffy grinned and smacked his shoulder, "That's so stupid! Sanji's food is amazing! You should never look a fruit basket in the mouth you know!"

"I… what the fuck is that supposed to even MEAN?!" Growling, Zoro slipped away from Luffy's grip. Why the fuck did everyone have to keep talking about food today? It was making him nauseous…

"Luffy I'm going to put up the ice cream. Watch the register." He escaped to the freezer before he punched someone in frustration. The biting cold would be a good distraction.

Sanji watched the shitty store employee disappear into a back door with a disapproving frown, "Is he always that rude? I would have fired that shithead AGES ago if he acted like that in my restaurant!"

"Zoro isn't rude. He just doesn't lie." The store owner's tone was serious, "And don't call him names. He's my friend."

Sanji scowled, "Well your 'friend' needs to watch his mouth. I don't come in here every night to get shitty service."

Luffy crossed his arms and tilted his head, "Who started it?" Sanji pursed his lips. So what if he'd insulted the fucker first? He'd been asking for it with that bad attitude of his!

"I think you'd like Zoro if you gave him a chance." Luffy grinned at him, "You should bring more meat! He didn't get to try any, so he's cranky."

"Wait… you really ate the WHOLE dozen muffins?!" Sanji eyed the store owner with a mix of admiration and horror.

Luffy bobbed his head and laughed, "They were so delicious! Your food is amazing, Sanji!"

"Excuse me! Can I get some service?!" A lanky man with a blonde bowl cut and the ugliest cleft chin Sanji had ever seen was standing at the register counter and tapping his feet in obvious irritation.

Luffy chuckled before energetically loping to the register. Sanji heard him make a rude comment about the customer's chin and he snorted as he walked over to the coffee. Apparently bad manners were the norm in this shitty store. Honestly he'd stop coming if this wasn't the only twenty-four hour store directly between his restaurant and his apartment. Also even though the coffee was generic as fuck, it was usually a good strong brew.

He watched the bowl-cut customer storm red-faced out of the door and shook his head. It was a wonder that this place didn't go out of business with an owner and a shitty cashier like the pair working here. The lovely and intelligent manager, Nami was no doubt solely responsible for keeping the doors open. It was a pity that she had to work with this riffraff, but she apparently enjoyed the challenge since she had repeatedly turned down his offers to hire her at his restaurant.

When his coffee was as close to decent as he could get from carefully balancing the available ingredients, Sanji approached Luffy at the counter. The store owner had a small pile of donuts, fruit cups, and sandwiches from the refrigerated unit at the back of the shop, and he was dividing the food into two plastic bags. Sanji raised an eyebrow in interest, "What are you up to?"

"This is the food that's expired, but it's still tasty so I don't like to throw it out!" Luffy hefted the larger of the two bags, "This is mine, and the other one is for Zoro!"

Not wasting food was something he could approve of for sure. He eyed the two bags, "Have you thought about donating this food to a homeless shelter or a soup kitchen? You could do some real good you know. I can give you a few contacts if you're interested."

Luffy shrugged, "I spend a lot on food so this really helps me out. Nami is always mad at me about my 'food expenses'... And Zoro needs food too so I like to give him some."

"Well if you change your mind let me know." Sanji put his coffee cup on the counter, "Can I get two packs of cigarettes?"

"Cigarettes…?" Luffy was looking at him with a blank expression.

Sanji rolled his eyes. That green-haired bastard usually was the one behind the counter, and although he didn't care for the man at least he knew what Sanji smoked. "Lucky Strikes. Two packs of Lucky Strikes."

"Oh!" Luffy laughed, "I don't know where those are!"

Oh for the love of French toast! "They're kept under that counter. It's the second shelf down."

Luffy followed Sanji's gesturing and looked around under the counter with a puzzled expression before announcing cheerfully, "We don't have it!"

"WHAT…?!"

"Lu, what are you looking for?"

Zoro had appeared out of nowhere and was leaning on the far end of the counter, rubbing at his cold-reddened nose with the back of his hand. Luffy looked up from where he was crouched by the counter, "Lucky Strikes?"

"They're still in the box." Zoro glanced over at the blonde who was blatantly staring at him. What the fuck was that guy's issue?!

Gritting his teeth and marching behind the counter, Zoro quickly looked through the stack of boxes in the corner. He easily found the carton of Lucky Strikes, and opened the top, "Two?" The blonde nodded eagerly and reached out for them but Zoro held them away and raised an eyebrow, "I need to see your id."

"What the fuck?" Sanji stared at him incredulously, "You don't need my damn id. I'm in here every night!"

"I'm sorry. State law dictates that I cannot sell you the cigarettes now unless you show me valid identification."

"Are you shitting me?! You've never carded me before! Never!" Zoro let his smile warp into a smirk, and Sanji noticed the change right away, "You goddamn mother fucker! You're fucking with me aren't you? Shit!"

Luffy got up from where he'd been rooting curiously through one of the boxes of cigarette cartons, "You have to show him, Sanji! I want to see your picture too!"

Sadistic glee filled him from head to toe as Zoro watched Sanji's jaw drop in disbelief, and he stuttered for a moment before snarling and digging his wallet out of his pocket. The blonde growled as he shoved a driver's license right in Zoro's face. He took it and made a great show of checking the birth date and the expiration on the card with Luffy looking over his shoulder and giggling, before looking Sanji straight in the eye with a perfectly deadpan expression. "I'm afraid the photo on this ID doesn't resemble you... Since this person has two eyes and all." He snorted as he examined the picture closer, "And curly eyebrows? What the fuck?!"

If Sanji had been angry before, now he was purple and absolutely livid. "That IS my fucking id! Just sell me my goddamn cigarettes!" Zoro simply raised a brow and held the cigarettes further away. Clearly desperate now, Sanji grabbed his bangs and moved them further to the side.

Zoro laughed loudly, and his injured side made him wince from the sudden movement. He wheezed slightly as he continued to laugh anyway. "You really do have fucking curly eyebrows!"

Luffy leaned over the counter with a grin, "Really?! Cool!"

"FUCK YOU!"

Still laughing softly to himself, Zoro handed over the cigarettes and totaled the purchase. Sanji glared silently though the rest of the transaction and then stomped away without a word. Luffy chuckled as he wandered back toward the office, "Sanji is so funny!"

Zoro had to agree. He grinned as he watched the emo-blonde's angry retreat out to the parking lot; at least until the streetlights illuminated the bastard kicking a fucking huge dent in the driver's side door of Zoro's car. His eyes nearly bulged out in shock and fury, "FUCKING HELL! I swear I'll fucking murder that goddamn fucking asshole the next time he steps a toe in my store!"

In the heat of his rage, Zoro didn't even notice the pimply-faced teen standing at the counter in wide-eyed terror, clutching his soda, and dearly wishing he had never come back to the Sunny Mart. He left money on the counter before fleeing for the door. Luffy's loud laughter could be heard from the office as Zoro continued to curse while he watched the blonde drive off with tires squealing. Thank god he only had a couple more hours until he could get the fuck out of here and go home to his son.

"Hey, Zoro! I almost forgot!" Luffy peered out of the office, "There was a lot of sandwiches expiring today and I didn't need them all so I put some in a bag for you. Tony likes turkey sandwiches, right?"

Zoro blinked, his bad mood lifting, "Really? Thanks, Lu! Turkey is fine!" He licked his lips, fantasizing about eating a tasty sandwich as soon as he got home. They might even have enough food to get them through to payday now! "Tony will be so happy…!" Luffy smiled at him and nodded before ducking back into the office.


	3. Chapter 3

Zoro held the phone away from his face as he interrupted himself with yet another painful fit of coughing. When he brought it back to his ear there was silence on the other end of the line for a moment before his boss grunted, "Yeah you definitely can't come in like that. You'll spread that crud to everyone in the gym. Call me when you're well enough to work again."

Sighing, Zoro rubbed his eyes. He really couldn't afford to miss work, but the gym had strict policies to protect the health of its members and he knew if he went in like this his boss would just kick his ass and throw him out anyway, "Thanks, Garp. I'm sorry for the trouble."

His boss's voice boomed through the phone, "Just get better! You sound like shit, Roronoa!" Loud laughter made his headache painfully roar to life, and Zoro winced as he hung up the phone before burrowing his throbbing head into his pillow with a groan.

His head ached, his throat was scratchy, and dear god did his side hurt! He had the constant urge to cough and clear the discomfort in his throat, but a small cough inevitably lead to more shallow hacking and wheezing that made his still-healing ribs cry out for mercy. He'd only tried coughing deeply once and nearly dropped into a fetal position from the intense agony in his side. Colds were the fucking worst… Why did he have to catch one now of all times? Couldn't the damn virus have waited a few years?!

There was a light patter of feet in the kitchen area before Zoro heard Tony approach him on the couch, "Daddy?"

Zoro gingerly shifted on his side and cracked his eyes open, "What's wrong, Tony-Tony?"

"I brought something to make you better! Nurse Maidy says it's important to keep your hands clean!" Tony 's expression was completely serious as he held up an old washcloth, "It fights germs!"

"I think that's more for when you're not sick yet…"

His stubborn son huffed and insistently tugged at Zoro's wrists, scowling until he let the little guy pull his arms from their comfy position under his cheek. He smiled as Tony wiped his hands meticulously with the damp, soapy cloth. "Thanks, Chopper-buddy. That feels great. Good job remembering what you were taught!"

Tony blushed furiously, and Zoro gave a hoarse laugh as he tousled his son's hair with his damp fingers. The little boy squawked indignantly and twisted away, "GEEZ! CUT IT OUT!"

Zoro dropped his hands back to the mattress of the pull-out couch, and coughed into the crook of his arm. Tony fidgeted in front of him and fussed with the hem of his shirt until Zoro sighed and asked, "What is it?"

"I made you breakfast!" Tony scurried over to the kitchen counter and returned with a bowl containing one of the turkey sandwiches that had a partially squished banana and bits of cereal spilling out the sides.

Eyeing the food apprehensively, Zoro slowly pushed his aching body upright, "What is this?"

Tony shifted on his feet with a shy, but proud, expression, "Nurse Maidy says that people who are sick should eat more nutrition and… uh, good stuff. So I put in my cereal because it says on the box that it has vitamins, and bananas are supposed to be very nutritious!"

He had the cutest, best kid in the world. Grinning, Zoro took the bowl, "You're right. This is very nutritious, and perfect to help me get better. Thank you, Chopper-buddy."

Tony squirmed with delight; ducking his head so his shaggy hair flopped over his eyes and hid his pleased smile. Zoro smiled at him fondly. He'd eat whatever weird shit his son gave him if it made him this happy.

He only hesitated a minute, "Where's your breakfast, Tony?"

The little boy perked up and scurried back to the kitchen area, "I have half a sandwich! That's okay, right?" He returned with his part of a turkey sandwich on a small plate and looked up at Zoro with concerned eyes, "Am I allowed to have it?"

"Of course!" Zoro coughed painfully as he moved over to make some room, "Let's eat in bed today."

Tony cheered and climbed onto the pull-out mattress. Zoro hid a wince when his son snuggled into his injured side, and dug the remote out of a crease in the couch. Flipping on the tv, he found a cartoon and dutifully started on his unique meal. It tasted weird, but it wasn't inedible. He finished every bite, and feeling warm and relatively comfortable - he dozed off with Tony eating quietly at his side. 

Maybe being sick wasn't all bad…

Several hours later his phone alarm woke him up. Tony looked up at him from the floor where he was drawing in his favorite notebook with crayons. Zoro offered him a smile and gingerly eased himself out of bed. He didn't bother with folding up the mattress, and shuffled straight into the bathroom to get ready for his shift at the Sunny Mart. He couldn't afford to miss both jobs, so he had to go to work tonight, but he should be fine if he just stuck to the cash register.

After cleaning up as well as his aching body would tolerate, Zoro dressed in a clean uniform and left the bathroom. "Tony-Tony have you had lunch?"

"Yeah. I had more turkey! It's so good!"

Zoro wandered to the refrigerator and opened it to look at what was left. Tony was telling the truth, but that left them with only half a sandwich, some peanut butter and that damn cereal. Grimacing, Zoro coughed and closed the fridge. They needed food. He didn't have a choice. He'd have to pay less toward his loan and pick up some food for his son. Coughing again and rubbing his aching side, Zoro retrieved his keys from the small kitchen table, "Okay, Chopper-buddy, are you about ready to go over to Franky's?"

"Do I have to?" Tony 's voice was drawn out in a whine and his brown eyes were already growing shiny with tears as he looked up at Zoro, "I want to stay here with you!"

Wanting to avoid actual tears, or worse, Zoro explained gently, "I have to go to work. I need to buy you more yummy cereal and bananas. Don't you want that? And you like Franky! You guys will have lots of fun while I'm gone!"

His son's normally sweet, angelic face crumpled into a stubborn glare as he crossed his little arms, "I don't want to have fun with Franky! I want to be here with you! Why can't you stay?"

"Tony..." Zoro sighed and coughed into the crook of his elbow. Of course his kid would throw a tantrum when he felt like shit. "I would like to be able to stay and play, but daddy has to work. If I don't work then we don't have food, or coloring books, or our apartment."

Tony 's face was reddened from anger and his expression was downright mutinous, "I want to stay here! I want to play with you!"

Wearily rubbing at his aching temples, Zoro turned away from his angry kid and shuffled into Tony’s room. “Today is really not a good day for this shit…” Muttering under his breath, he hunted down a pair of socks and matching shoes before stumbling back out into the main room. 

“Tony, I know you want to hang out with me, but I really need you to put your shoes and socks on. Daddy’s going to be late.”

“NO!” Tony shrieked and threw himself on the ground, wailing dramatically as fat, crocodile tears rolled down his cheeks. 

“Tony...!” Loud whining and childish screaming interrupted him, before Zoro could say anything more. 

His head hurt so fucking bad, and the noise assaulting his ears from Tony’s fit was actually making him feel nauseous. Closing his eyes, Zoro snapped, " Tony Chopin Roronoa, I'm not going to argue about this! Get your shoes and socks on NOW! I’m counting to three!"

The rumble of anger in his voice made Tony freeze in the act of throwing his hands and feet around in the throes of his tantrum. His son sniffled and sat up before whining, “But daaaaaddy...!”

“ONE…!” Zoro growled, taking a step forward.

“NO!” Tony scrambled to his feet and hurried to snatch his shoes and sock out of Zoro’s hands.

He stood, watching silently as the little boy put them on. He always felt bad when Tony got upset like this - he couldn’t help but feel that if he was able to be home more then Tony wouldn’t feel so lonely. However, he was doing the best he could, and there wasn’t much he could do about his working hours.

His son’s small body was shaking with soft hiccups and occasional sobs as he pulled on each sneaker and clumsily knotted the laces. He stood and Zoro held out his hand, offering him a crooked smile, “Ready? Let’s go see Franky.” 

Tony crossed his arms, tucking his hands under his armpits and looking away with a stubborn set to his jaw. Zoro sighed, “Okay then…”

Leaving their apartment, Zoro waited patiently for Tony to stomp out after him before locking the door. He slipped his keys into his pocket as he walked briskly to Franky's door and knocked. Tony was still sulking at his side and Zoro gave him a warning look, "You better be good for Franky." 

Tony made a show of ignoring him as he glared at his shoes. Zoro was about to say something to make him behave when Franky answered the door, "Hey bro! Right on time! And little bro…! What's with that sour face?"

Franky crouched down and rested his tattooed arms on his knees so that he was eye-level with the little boy. Tony shuffled awkwardly and refused to meet his gaze, still pouting fiercely. Zoro rolled his eyes and turned to cough before muttering, "He got himself all worked up right before we had to leave."

Nodding sympathetically at Zoro, Franky eyed Tony 's rebellious expression before grinning slyly. "Hey, Tony-bro, it's too bad you don't want to hang out with me today. I was going to go down to the dollar store and I was hoping you could help me out!"

Tony 's head jerked up and his eyes were wide, "Candy?"

Zoro gave a small nod when Franky shot him a questioning look. The big man smiled, "Sure little bro! But only if you behave and say a nice goodbye to your super dad!"

"Okay!" Tony beamed up at the two of them and held his arms up for Zoro. Crouching was painful, but Zoro tried not to grimace too badly as he gathered his son into his arms. Tony hugged him tight, "Bye, daddy!"

"Love you, Tony-Tony. I'll see you when I get home."

His son kissed his cheek before bounding into Franky's apartment. The big man stood, chuckling as he ran a hand over his thickly gelled, electric-blue dyed hair. "What a simple little guy! He's freaky smart though bro. You should have seen him messing around with tablet I was fixing the other day!"

Listening to Franky brag about his son gave Zoro a pang of hurt that had nothing to do with his injured side. He hated that he didn't get to see things like that. His little boy was growing up too fast. He needed to fucking spend some time with his kid… maybe he could after the bills were caught up.

Zoro gave his neighbor a lop-sided grin, "Yeah. He definitely got that from his mom's side of the family. Listen, I'm probably already running late but let me know how much the candy costs and I'll pay you back." 

Franky snorted, "No way in hell, bro. It's a bribe so he won't be screaming on the floor for the next hour! Parents aren't supposed to know that the caretakers bribe their kids anyway! It's a super secret technique!"

"Thanks for everything." He knew better than to argue by now. Franky could be as stubborn as he was. Zoro gave him a genuine smile. He was lucky that his neighbor was such a good guy.

Franky laughed and slapped his shoulder in response before following Tony into his apartment. "See you tonight, bro!"

"Bye…" Zoro watched Franky close the door before coughing into his arm and forcing himself to jog for the stairs. Maybe if he sped again today he could make it to work on time...

Later that night, Zoro was slumped wearily over the counter resting his arms on the cool surface. If he had felt bad before work, he felt like absolute shit now. The shitty coughing had gotten worse with him becoming unable to cough lightly. Each outbreak of barking coughs left him wheezing and breathless with tears in his eyes from the sheer fucking pain and exertion. His chest ached, and his side felt like it was being stabbed every time he breathed too deeply. At this point he'd kill for some cold medication, but they didn't have any in the Sunny Mart's medicine cabinet and he sure as hell wasn't going to spend six dollars on a shitty box of pills. So he resigned himself to suffer for now - glaring at the few customers milling around the store like mindless cattle... Especially the one dirty fucker who looked like he slept on the streets and kept filling his cup with free ice and water. He'd already run to the bathroom twice since Zoro had started keeping an eye on him - weird fucker was probably high. He didn't feel like going over and telling the asshole off though. He hoped his body was able to fight this shitty cold off soon because he'd really break his ribs if he kept up this damn coughing.

He blamed his worsened condition mostly on Nami. She had thrown a bitch fit when Zoro had come in late to his shift. Hoping to appease her, he had offered to work through his half-hour break… without pay. He had been temporarily blinded by the happy shine in her eyes at the mention of free labor, and faster than Luffy could eat a hotdog, the deal was made. Naturally, she had taken full advantage of his proposition; she had made him move all the boxes piled in the back to mop the damn storage room. Then she had stood there and directed where she wanted everything put back. Goddamn evil woman... She had fucking changed her mind about the whole arrangement five fucking times. Normally Zoro would have enjoyed the workout, but with his ribs were killing him and his cough worsening the whole affair had been like torture. In the end her damn 'little' favor had taken much longer than half an hour, and now Zoro didn't fucking have the energy to move anymore.

Zoro watched dully as Luffy energetically ran around the damn store, cheerfully shoving bags of chips into every nook and cranny of each shelf - even if they didn't belong there - and then jumping on the boxes until they were flat and piling them in front of the office. Luffy was lucky that Nami had left for the day and wasn't around to see the mess. However, Zoro should at least try to fix everything up before Usopp came in... Zoro groaned and dropped his forehead to the counter in despair.

"Wakey, wakey!" A finger jabbed rudely at his cheek.

Zoro slapped blindly at the offending hand. "Piss off, Lu."

Luffy chuckled, apparently finding Zoro's obvious misery entertaining, "Can't. It's time to get rid of the old food but I'm not done with the chips." He gave Zoro a pleading look, "Can you do it? Nami will yell if everything isn't done!"

Wincing slightly, Zoro pushed himself up and snorted, "She's going to yell anyway…"

Luffy tilted his head, not getting Zoro's point, "You're gonna do it?" 

Sighing, he nodded at the store owner, "Yeah, sure... Are you taking anything home today?"

"Yeah, thanks, Zoro! Don't forget to give me the ham sandwiches!" He thought a moment before adding, “And pudding! And jello! Does the jello expire? Or is it like those weird cakes? Wouldn’t it be funny to try one hundred year old jello?”

"Whatever you say, Lu. Hey, is it okay if I take a few things home too?"

“Sure!” Luffy shrugged, “As long as I get what I want I don’t care!” 

Zoro rolled his eyes and grabbed a couple of plastic bags before wandering over to the refrigerated display with the scanner. He coughed harshly as the cooler air brushed his face, and he rested a hand on his side with a pained expression as he tried to steady his breathing. Just fuck, fucking everything right now…

"Hey, mean-and-green. You okay there?"

"I have a cold." Zoro informed the nosy blonde bluntly as he turned with a scowl.

Sanji's tired blue eye travelled over his features before a slight wrinkle formed on his pale forehead, "Yeah, I could fucking hear you hacking up your guts from out by my damn car!"

Snorting, Zoro turned back to the food and scanned an expired turkey sandwich before stuffing it in the bag he was taking home. "You don't have to come here if you're worried about your pansy-ass self getting sick. You could just go piss off to another store."

Sanji laughed shortly before heading for the coffee, "No such luck, jackass!"

Grumbling, Zoro resisted the urge to flip off the blonde again, plucked up an expired pudding cup, scanned that, and put it in Luffy's bag. He looked over to the shitty cook, and sure enough he was fucking pouring coffee into the trashcan again. Zoro rolled his eyes and aggressively stuffed a container of apple slices in his bag. 

There wasn’t much expiring today, or in the near future for that matter from what he could see. He supposed that was a good thing because it meant they were actually selling shit, but he couldn’t help but feel disappointed that he only had three sandwiches and those apple slices to take home. He’d have to make that last him the week too because there was no way he was going to miss a payment entirely to buy groceries for Tony AND himself. The last time he’d missed a payment, the loan company had hiked his interests rates without mercy. He was already dreading having to negotiate making only a partial payment, so he’d have to make this little bit of food last.

It was more important than anything that Tony got enough to eat.

There wasn’t much in the bag for Luffy either. Hopefully the owner wouldn’t be too upset about there only being two sandwiches. He’d made sure to put the expired watermelon in there with the pudding too just in case...

"Hey… are you getting rid of all that food?"

Startled, Zoro turned to see the skinny, homeless-looking guy from before eyeing the bags of food with hungry eyes. Getting a better look at the man, Zoro could see the bones in his too-thin hands, the way his collar bones jutted from his emaciated chest through the sagging collar of his filthy t-shirt, and how his bloodshot eyes were sunken back into his worn face. He was shaking slightly as his eyes kept darting from the food to Zoro’s face. Frankly, he looked like hell.

Zoro knew what it felt like to be hungry, and in the end he didn’t give a shit if this man was a criminal or caught up in addiction… No one should have to starve when he was literally holding free food. Wordlessly, Zoro shoved his bag into the man's hands and watched as he stared stupidly at it a moment before sniffling, "Shit… God bless you man! You don't even know…! God bless!"

"Thank me by getting the hell out and getting somewhere safe to stay tonight." Zoro huffed, avoiding the man's grateful eyes, "And fucking bless yourself, because that shit's never done any good for me…"

"Bless you, sir!" With a last, loud expression of gratitude, finally the man left with his embarrassing display, and Zoro let out a long,exasperated breath. Why couldn’t that guy have just taken the fucking food and left quietly? Zoro really hadn’t been looking for thanks, and the only reason he wasn’t fleeing to the back room was there was almost no one in the store to have seen that display.

Coughing against his arm, Zoro morosely eyed the bag of food in his hand meant for Luffy. There wasn't any more food expiring today and Luffy would be upset if Zoro took his share. He knew with the refrigerator at home being empty that he had no choice but to buy some groceries for Tony, but he really had been counting on the expired food from work to feed himself. He couldn’t eat his son’s food when he wasn’t sure when he’d be able to buy groceries again… Also glancing over the food expiration dates quickly he could see that only one or two things would expire in the next few days. Nami must have put out all new stock this morning and almost none of it would be ready to expire for almost a week. God fucking damn it, why did he have to give that guy the WHOLE bag?! 

“Excuse me, Are you going to take my money or are you just going to make eyes at those gross-ass sandwiches all night?”

Zoro looked back at the register and let his lips twist into a snarl as he glared at his least favorite blonde. Stalking over behind the counter, he stashed Luffy’s food under the register to give to the owner after the fucking emo-blonde got the fuck out. The chef was impatiently tapping his long fingers against his coffee cup, and as Zoro began to ring the sale, he reminded the cashier dryly, “Cigarettes. Two.”

Scowling, Zoro slapped Sanji's usual order on the counter. "Pay up, asshole."

A slow smirk spread across Sanji's face as he dramatically pulled a clear plastic baggie from his suit pocket. "Eighteen dollars and eighty cents, right?"

Zoro's eyes widened in horror as he saw the contents of the bag, "You wouldn't…!"

Laughing like a cliche villain, Sanji poured a massive pile of change onto the counter. To make things worse it was mostly all nickles... Zoro shot him a look of pure hatred and deftly began to count everything into little piles representing one dollar. The blonde gave a satisfied sigh, and turned to lean on the counter to wait for Zoro to finish. 

“I saw what you did earlier by the way.” 

Zoro briefly flicked his dark scowl from the coins littering the counter to study the blonde’s expression, but Sanji was still faced the other way and all he could see was that dumb hairstyle. "I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about."

 

“You gave that guy free food.”

Flushing slightly, Zoro lost count and had to start over on the little pile he was currently arranging. Gluing his gaze to the coins under his fingers he muttered sullenly, “You got a problem with that...?”

He heard Sanji shift and reluctantly glanced up to see the blonde looking at him directly with a serious expression, “If you hadn’t done something, I would have given him something myself… but I’m glad you’re not a complete bastard.”

Zoro shrugged and finished counting the change, scooping it up to sort into his register, “It wasn’t a big deal. I guess I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Yeah.”

Sanji lingered a moment and Zoro decided to ignore the weirdo and grabbed the bag of food to give to Luffy, “Hey, Lu! I’m putting your shit in the office! You took the wrong thing home the last time I put it in the walk-in!”

Luffy’s hand shot up over one of the product isles in a wave, “Thanks, Zoro! Shishishishi, I remember Nami was so mad!”

Zoro shook his head and grinned to himself before walking out from behind the counter. The shitty blonde stepped in his way and Zoro rolled his eyes, coughing into his elbow. “What do you want now?!”

The chef eyed the bag of food, “Is that all really for Luffy?”

“Well yeah. That’s all there is.” Another round of deep coughs made Sanji wince, and Zoro gave him a sour look, "It’s really none of your damn business, shitty cook."

Sanji didn’t get angry at the short response; instead he stepped back into Zoro’s way when he tried to slip by, “What were you going to do with that other bag anyway?”

The look that the store worker gave him the distinct impression that Zoro thought he was an absolute idiot, “I was going to eat it. But now…” He stopped talking abruptly - eyebrows furrowing deeply.

Unwilling to let the subject drop, Sanji pressed for an answer, “But now, what?”

“Now I won’t!” Zoro snapped and rudely shoved him to the side with his shoulder and arm, “Fucking MOVE already!”

Sanji absently rubbed his arm where he’d been pushed as he watched Zoro stomp off into the office. The grumpy cashier had to be in his twenties, but he hadn’t weighed what Sanji had expected when he’d forced his way past. In fact, Sanji was certain he had been able to clearly feel his ribs where his hand had been briefly pressed against Zoro’s side. He looked pale too. Certainly he was sick, but Sanji couldn’t shake the nagging thought that Zoro had just given away his dinner, and it pissed him off. Unpleasant feelings stirred in his gut, and he felt a little nauseous as old memories of hard times when he was small and his father had been struggling after his injury flashed through his mind… Hunger was a terrible feeling, and not even shitty cashiers should go hungry.

Interrupting his unhappy reminiscing, Zoro emerged from the office, hunching as he coughed and wheezed into the crook his elbow. Sanji frowned, listening to the deep, rattling sound of the cough, and observing the way that the cashier rubbed his side like it hurt… Someone that sick really should eat lots of food.

Making up his mind, Sanji marched out to his car. He had always had food. There was no sense in wasting the good leftovers from his restaurant, and it made him feel better knowing he had plenty on hand. Maybe he could make amends for being such an ass - at least this once - and share what he had...

He looked over the food that he’d packed up in a large, cardboard box thoughtfully before just grabbing the whole damn thing and carrying it inside. He barely made it through the doors when Luffy’s head popped up over the store shelves like a hairless, lanky gopher, and honed right in on that package. "SAAAAAAANJI! FOOOOD!"

Sanji coolly ignored Luffy's screeching and unpacked two beautiful pies; setting them on the counter. Luffy scrambled out of the aisle and careened through the store, leaping in the air to pounce like a hungry animal when he drew close. However, Sanji harshly kept him at bay with a shining dress shoes planted firmly on the owner’s chest. "You want the pie?" Sanji lifted one and moved it back and forth, smirking as Luffy's eyes followed the dessert faithfully. "Go ahead and get it!" Sanji threw it away from himself like a frisbee, grinning from ear-to-ear when Luffy actually caught it mid-air.

"What the fuck…?" Zoro walked over from the coffee counter holding a bulging trashbag. Sanji waved him over with a smug grin, and casually pushed the remaining pie toward the green-haired cashier.

"What is this?" Zoro scowled at him with his arms crossed, the bag dangling from his fingers at his side.

Sanji snorted, “Apple pie. You’re not allergic to anything weird, right?”

Zoro just stared. The silence stretched out for a moment, making Sanji nervous, until Zoro finally asked, “You didn’t make it, did you?”

“Well no...?”

Smirking, the cashier leaned his hip casually against the counter, “Then I’m sure it won’t kill me.”

Sanji snarled in response, “Shut up and take the fucking pie!”

Zoro’s scowl was back in full force and he met Sanji’s gaze with a fierce glare, “And what the hell are you trying to give me this damn pie for?”

“Actually there’s some chicken salad in here too.” Sanji checked the box before adding, “And some salisbury steak.”

“What the fuck do you want, cook?”

Sanji chewed his lip thoughtfully as he slipped a hand into the pocket of his slacks to run his fingers over the skin-warmed metal of his lighter, “It’s my job.”

Zoro snorted before walking away toward the door to the back room, “I don’t fucking want any favors from you, and like hell am I paying for that crap!” 

Grinding his teeth in frustration, Sanji chased after him; catching the touchy bastard by the arm before he could make his escape, “Just this once!” Zoro turned, shaking off his grip and raising an eyebrow. Sanji ran his fingers through his hair in an attempt to calm down a little - not caring if he ruined his hairstyle. “I don’t like the thought of anyone missing a meal. Even shitheads like you. I don’t know if you have something else for dinner, but it would just make me feel better if I just fed you and knew for sure.”

Zoro dropped his gaze and shifted uncomfortably, and Sanji pushed the envelope a little further, “You did a good thing by helping that man out, but you shouldn’t have to go hungry tonight either.”

The cashier still wouldn’t meet his gaze, but Sanji saw something soften in his expression, and his shoulders eased slightly, “Just this once. If it’ll get you to get the fuck out.”

Sanji nodded rapidly, and a huge smile spread over his face as he took a step toward the doors, "I’ll see you tomorrow!”

 

The irritated store worker simply grunted; his scowl actually deepening. Sanji lifted his hand in a casual wave as he left. Thanks would have been nice, but he really didn’t expect that kind of decency from that green neanderthal. As soon as he was outside, he dug out his nearly finished pack of cigarettes and promptly lit up. Looking back into the store through the large front window, he could see Zoro put the second pie back in the cardboard box and carefully close the flaps. Leaning against the side of his car, he felt his nagging worry and that damn need to meddle finally calm down inside of himself. Sanji slowly breathed in the cigarette smoke, letting the routine of smoking chase away the shitty memories that were still trying to resurface, and waited until he saw Zoro carry the box of food out of sight into the office area. He knew he was getting too involved here, and that the irritable green asshole was more trouble than he was worth. However, feeding people is what he did, and as Sanji got into his car to drive home he felt immensely satisfied with himself.

Zoro knew that fucker was smoking out front and watching him. It pissed him off that the shitty blonde had stuck his nose in where it didn't belong and turned the situation into an opportunity to rub his wealth and abundant resources in Zoro’s face. He resented being treated with pity. If he hadn’t been too sick and tired to put up a fight, he'd have kicked that bastard’s blonde ass right out the door along with his shitty food. However, feeling poorly made him weak, and despite his wounded pride, he was fighting the urge to take this food home, eat well for once and hope he didn’t choke on his crumbling self-esteem.

Uncomfortable with knowing he was being watched, Zoro carried the box of food to the office and out of sight, snorting a soft laugh at Luffy hunched over his desk like a vulture; his face covered in pie crumbs. He nodded at the cardboard box before putting it on the desk, "Sanji left this. There's another pie in there."

"Really?!" Luffy grabbed at the box and dragged it closer while drooling.

Zoro grinned, "Eat what you want, Lu. And I'm going to pay him back for it later, so don't worry about that either."

Luffy shot him a sharp look before putting the steak in front of himself with a toothy grin, "Okay, Zoro! You're the best!"

Zoro left him to it, feeling smug at having foiled that shitty blonde’s plans.

Waiting for the night to end was excruciating, and Zoro almost cried with relief when Usopp finally came in for his shift. He limped back toward the office as fast as possible to clock out, and just when he'd punched in his code Luffy grabbed him by the arm. The store owner grinned and shoved Sanji's apple pie into his hands. Zoro was definitely surprised, "You didn't want this?"

Shaking his head, Luffy pressed the pie into his hold more insistently, "I'm full."

Zoro snorted incredulously but accepted the pie, "Liar."

"Shishishishi!" Luffy chuckled as he pulled out his wallet and flipped through it, "Here. Take this too."

Zoro scowled at the twenty dollar bill in Luffy’s hand and snarled, “I’m not taking your money, Luffy!”

Luffy didn’t seem fazed at all by Zoro’s anger, and he simply laid the money on the pie’s plastic lid, “I’m not asking you to take it. You’re paying Sanji back, right? That’s for what I ate.”

“I told you not to…!” Zoro’s argument trailed off into a painful fit of coughing.

The store owner’s face grew stern, “I’m telling you as your boss to take that money to pay Sanji. So shut up about it!”

Zoro closed his gaping mouth with a sharp click of his teeth, and glared as he obediently took the money off the pie and stuffed it in his pants pocket. Luffy almost never gave orders as ‘the boss’, and even on his worst day Zoro knew better than to argue with Luffy when he was this serious. Feeling irritable, and sick, and just generally fed up with the day, Zoro stomped out the front doors carrying the damn pie.

It had fucking better be delicious.


	4. Chapter 4

Normally on Sunday mornings Zoro would drop off Tony at his school-friend, Sabo's house and his mother would look after the boys. It gave Franky a break and Zoro didn't have to hire some other babysitter. However, today he was still too sick to be working at the gym so he'd decided to go grocery shopping before his shift at the Sunny Mart, and he'd offered to bring the boys along so he could spend some time with his son. As he wearily pushed his cart through the aisles and tried his best to keep the two rambunctious children at his side and quiet, he couldn't help but wonder if he hadn't made a mistake. Maybe it would have helped if they hadn't eaten that damn pie for breakfast. He just didn't have the energy to keep up with his son on a sugar high.

Last night he had barely slept. He'd tossed and turned, tormented by his persistent cough and burning ribs. Now today he was too exhausted to even cough properly, and he alternated between shallow wheezing and clearing his throat in an effort to relieve the ache that was settling deep in his chest. The slice of pie from that morning was sitting heavily in his gut. Honestly he regretted eating at all as his endless coughing made his stomach churn and had him frequently swallowing back the bile that crept up to burn in his throat.

Sabo pulled down a colorful cereal box off the shelf, and Zoro cringed as several more came tumbling with it. The curly-headed blond shoved his prize at his friend, unconcerned with the mess he'd made. "Tony! You should get this! Then we'll have the same breakfast!"

Tony grabbed the box with an eager squeal and waved it enthusiastically, "Can we get it daddy? Please? Please, please, plea…!"

"Chopper-buddy..." Zoro shook his head as he sighed wearily, "I don't have a coupon for that one. You like the cereal we have at home, so why don't we get that?"

Tony pouted as he clutched the cereal box to his chest; a small whine of complaint heralding an impending tantrum. Zoro wheezed out a weak cough and miserably massaged at his aching chest. He really fucking did not want to deal with Tony having a fit today... "If you're good and let daddy decide what food to buy then I'll let you and Sabo get some bubble gum, okay?"

The change was instantaneous, and Tony 's expression went from stormy to cheerful in a heartbeat, "Okay!" The little boy chirped as he obediently put the cereal back on the shelf. Thank God for bribery.

Zoro smiled and walked over to tousle his son's fluffy hair before crouching slowly and painfully to pick up the mess of cereal boxes that Sabo had made. Both boys were quick to help, pressing cereal boxes into his hands, and he could practically see puppy tails wagging happily when he thanked them each time. Zoro couldn't find it in his heart to be mad at either them about the mess, even though his every breath burned like fire in his chest and side as his body rebelled at being put into his current position. Finally the last box was put back where it belonged, and Zoro got up heavily, clutching his side with a low groan. Sabo and Tony chased each other down the aisle, dodging around other shoppers and nearly running into an older man with a cane.

"Tony! Sabo!" Zoro coughed wetly from the effort of raising his voice and leaned heavily on the cart as he waited for the old man to pass out of his way.

"I found it, daddy!" Tony skidded to a stop in front of the cart, victoriously brandishing the cereal Zoro had been looking for.

"That's great, Tony-Tony. Can you put it in the cart for me?" His son happily obeyed before bounding after Sabo again. The old man, who was still lingering in his way, grunted in disapproval, but Zoro ignored him and thumbed through his coupons. He could have sworn he had one for hotdogs in here…

"No wonder you're sick if this is the crap you eat!"

Zoro looked up, startled, to see the old man reaching into his cart and rudely pushing aside the cereal to look at the items underneath. He looked up at Zoro with steely grey eyes and snorted; his ridiculously long and braided blonde mustache twitching as he sneered, "You shouldn't waste your money on shit that isn't even actually food!"

"Excuse me?!" Zoro growled and tried to take a step back away from the crazy fucker and his threateningly tapping cane. However an oatmeal display behind him blocked his retreat. He tried to stay relatively calm as he spat out bluntly, "I didn't ask your opinion, now kindly back the hell off!"

"Listen you damn asparagus, I've been in deep shit before. I was homeless for three years, and I had to learn the hard way how to keep myself and my son fed. He grew up well, skinny little shit that he is, so I know what I'm saying when I tell you that you can have food that's actually good for your body for less than you're spending on most of this garbage!" The older man stared him straight in the eye with an uncomfortably knowing look and Zoro couldn't make himself hold that sharp gaze.

He looked off to the side and mumbled sullenly, "We're fine. I don't need your fucking pity."

"No, what you need is advice and kick upside the head…!" The old man grinned suddenly, the lines in his face deepening, "You remind me of myself. I learned shit the hard way, but now I'm a professional chef. I run my own place, and I know what I'm talking about..."

Zoro rolled his eyes in irritation and watched as the old man shifted his shopping basket to the hand gripping his cane and dug out his wallet from his worn, tan slacks. "I don't want your fucking money!" Zoro hissed in anger, seriously considering running the old bastard over with his cart and escaping.

The elderly blonde gave him a dark glare, "Shut up you ungrateful ingrate. I'm not giving you a damn penny!" He pulled out a worn and creased old index card and shoved it at Zoro's chest, "This recipe makes four meals for less than two dollars apiece, and you can portion it out to last for six if you eat slightly smaller plates."

Zoro grudgingly accepted the card before looking it over curiously. The chili and pasta recipe was handwritten and faded, but still legible. None of the ingredients looked too expensive either. He had to admit that the thought of that many meals for so cheap was appealing, but he had neither the time or the energy to play chef. Besides, Tony loved ramen, and Zoro had made sure that he picked up a few of those eighty-nine cent bags of frozen veggies and some bananas... They were fine, and they certainly didn't need strangers butting into their business.

"I appreciate that you want to help, but I didn't ASK you for it..." He tucked the recipe into the pocket of his jeans before crossing his arms, "Seriously, what is it with you cooks all thinking that you have the right to force shit on people?"

The older blonde snorted, "Stubborn ass... Do what you want, but better food will help you and your kids."

Rolling his eyes, Zoro huffed in annoyance, "I know how to take care of my own kid. Now could you please move your damn cane? I have to actually buy this food before I go into work."

"Shitty asparagus brat..." The old man groused, "Promise that you'll at least give that recipe one try? It was my son's favorite, and if you get hard taco shells you can also eat it that way. Kids like that." He hobbled out of Zoro's way before adding, "Also oatmeal is cheaper in the long run than that shit cereal, and it tastes better if you add a little syrup or fruit. Don't get your produce here either. Go to the shop on Fifth and Orange. Much cheaper…"

"Jesus Christ, I'll try the fucking recipe! Just please stop talking to me!" Zoro coughed into his arm and shook his head.

"Ungrateful." The old man rolled his eyes, "You're fucking welcome, dumbass. And if you ever need a job go to the Baratie and ask for Zeff. We always need busboys and waiters." He patted Zoro's shoulder firmly before limping down the aisle and out of sight.

Grumbling to himself, Zoro pushed his shopping cart down the aisle. He just needed a small loaf of bread for Tony's sandwiches and then they could get the hell out of here before he was accosted by anymore shitty cooks. That old bastard actually reminded him quite a bit of that shitty emo-blond from the Sunny Mart. Maybe they were related. Zoro snorted a laugh.

"What's funny, daddy?" Tony looked up at him with wide eyes as he walked alongside the cart, waiting for Sabo to get off the front so he could have a ride.

"It's nothing, Chopper-buddy. Remember daddy's rule about not talking to strangers?" Tony nodded rapidly and Zoro grinned at him, "Good. That man daddy was talking to is a bad stranger who doesn't know how to mind his own business, and if you see him you should run away and find daddy or Franky, okay?" He was satisfied when Tony nodded again, his brown eyes huge as he drew closer to grab at Zoro's hand.

Wheeling his shopping cart into a checkout line, Zoro coughed weakly off to the side before playfully swinging their joined hands and asking his son, "So what kind of bubble gum do you and Sabo want?"

"COTTON CANDY!"

"Of course..." Zoro chuckled and grabbed the candy out of the rack in the checkout aisle.

When the cashier got everything rung up he was delighted that what he'd gotten came to a little over twenty-one dollars. Hesitating a moment, Zoro pulled out the twenty dollar bill that Luffy had given him and unzipped the change pocket on his wallet to count the rest out in coins. The line behind him was impatient and he could hear people grumbling, but he didn't give a shit. If he didn't have to dip into what was in his bank account then that meant that he would be able to make his full loan payment after all. He'd just have to pay back Sanji another time…

As soon as he got the boys back to his apartment, put the groceries away, and fed the kids peanut butter sandwiches, sparing the remaining pie in his refrigerator a dark glare. It hadn't tasted bad, but his stomach was still unsettled and he would rather wait until tonight after work or tomorrow to try eating again. Besides if he stuck to eating once a day then the food he'd bought would last that much longer. He flopped facedown on the pullout couch and promptly fell asleep. He slept restlessly until he was shaken awake by small hands, "Daddy!"

"Mmugh..." He felt achy, hot and disoriented as he slowly rolled over and asked without opening his eyes, "What is it, Tony?"

"Your phone is ringing a lot and you said I'm not supposed to answer it anymore."

It took his confused brain a moment to sort out what his son had said and that the ringing in his ears was actual ringing. He shot upright and groaned, clutching his pained ribs as he scrambled to grab his phone from where it had fallen and landed in a pile of shirts. "Shit, shit, SHIT!"

"Ooh...!" Tony clapped his hands over hid gaping mouth before running off to his room giggling, "My daddy said a bad word!"

Zoro sighed, knowing he'd have to deal with that problem later, and glanced at the too familiar number on his caller id before coughing wetly and answering, "Roronoa..."

"ZORO WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU?! YOUR SHIFT STARTED FORTY MINUTES AGO!"

"Nami! I'm so sorry. I fell asleep and forgot to set my alarm..." He quickly explained as he looked around his dirty living room for his uniform, "I need to drop off Tony and I'll be there in thirty minutes."

He was already up and shucking off his jeans to put on his khaki slacks when Nami snapped, "Make it twenty!"

She hung up without saying goodbye, and Zoro let out an agonized hiss through gritted teeth as he bent to pull up his pants. The bruise on his side had faded into a sickly, mottled yellow and blue, with reddish-purple marks lingering where the injury had been deepest. His ribs sure as hell didn't feel like they were any better though. He was willing to bet all this fucking coughing was exacerbating the fracture and prolonging his misery. Things like this made him wonder what he'd done to make the universe hate him.

Zoro stumbled into the bathroom while pulling on his shirt; clutching at the sink as a wave of dizziness made his head swim. Coughing, he shook off the feeling and snatched up his toothbrush, "Tony! Sabo! We need to go now!" He heard a chorus of whining until he reminded them, "You can play with Sabo's video games when you get there!"

Rolling his eyes at the excited squeals and the sounds of little feet scampering through the apartment, Zoro spat out his mouthful of toothpaste and limped out hurriedly to hunt down his battered work shoes. The boys were waiting impatiently by the door as he stumbled over, pausing to yank on his sneakers as he went. He grabbed the car keys from the table and gave the pair a mad grin, "I'll race you guys to the car!"

Tony hesitated a moment until Zoro opened the apartment door, but he quickly recovered and ran down the hall, shrieking with delight. Sabo was hot on the fuzzy-headed brat's heels, also whooping and hollering. His neighbors were going to be so pissed.

Zoro made sure the apartment was locked up before following the boys in a slow jog. Normally he'd only be a step or two behind that hyper pair, but his burning side and his recent inability to catch his breath was slowing him down considerably. He sorely regretted running down those stairs when he wheezed and coughed all the way to drop off the kids, as well as most of the way into work. The drive was miserable; the strap from his seatbelt dug uncomfortably into his aching side, and all the damn coughing made him swerve occasionally into the wrong lane. By the time he got to work, his eyes and nose were watering unattractively from the stress of the constant choking, and the instant he stepped into the building, Zoro made a beeline for the counter. He grabbed a handful of napkins and retreated to the back room.

It didn't take Nami long to hunt him down. Her expression was murderous as she cornered him by the trash bin. "YOU FELL ASLEEP?! SERIOUSLY?!"

Zoro threw out his wad of napkins only to cough again into his arm before he defended himself hoarsely, "I said I'm sorry! I got here as soon as I could!"

"Are you sick...?" Nami crossed her arms and looked him over with a scowl, "You look like shit. Did you even brush your hair?!"

"I have a cold! And who actually fucking cares about my hair! Would you rather that I have taken twenty minutes to gel it up all nice into pretty shapes?!" Zoro snarled and stomped around the angry manager to head out to the register.

Nami rolled her eyes, "Don't you fucking talk like that to me! I'm writing your ass up by the way. If you're ever this late again I'll fire you! I don't care what Luffy says!"

Zoro paused with his hand on the door-handle, shoulders tense. He couldn't lose this job. If he got fired then he'd have to go back to working at a factory, and he'd probably have to quit working at the gym. He'd fucking left a higher paying factory job just so he could work at Garp's gym. The rough old man had offered him a chance to pursue his high school love of martial arts, along with a promise of grooming Zoro to take over the Iron Monkey Gym. For a guy like him who had dropped out of school to take care of his kid, he might never have another opportunity to follow his dream of being a professional martial arts instructor.

"It won't happen again." He did his best to convey his sincerity, looking Nami square in the eyes.

After a short staredown, she sighed, "You're a good employee. I know you won't let this become an issue. I still have to write you up, but if nothing serious happens in the next six months I'll strike it from your file, okay?"

He nodded, "Sounds fair."

She gave him a brief smile, "Okay. Now go get Luffy off the register before he fucks up another transaction! I'm going home and having a fucking glass of wine."

Zoro smirked and nodded. That was probably the real reason why she was so mad. He knew she understood his situation with Tony, and she hadn't even batted an eye that one time Coby had missed half his shift because he'd overslept after one of his college exams. She must have been missing one of her television shows - she never shut up about that one with the zombies… Also Luffy always triggered her rampages when he messed up the money. Unfortunately, instead of screaming at the owner like the idiot deserved, she'd gone off on him tonight because he'd had the bad luck to run late today, and because Luffy never seemed to understand the things he did wrong no matter how much he got lectured. The good news was since she wasn't really mad at HIM, and just taking out her Luffy-related frustrations, all he had to do was be more careful and he'd be back in her good graces. He wouldn't care about her liking him though if she wasn't the one who arranged all their schedules. She could make his life miserable if she wanted to... He'd just have to be on his best behavior for a while.

He was hit by another painful fit of coughing right as he reached Luffy. He clutched his side, trying desperately to keep his coughs shallow as pain shot through his ribs, but that only prolonged the episode until he was wheezing and dizzy. Luffy was frowning at him as he handed over a napkin, "You sound sick."

"It's just a cold. I'm fine."

Luffy shrugged before stepping aside, "I need to go put all the big bags of ice in the freezer."

Zoro waved him off, "Yeah, okay."

The manager scampered off with his usual huge grin. It made Zoro feel even more wrung out just watching him. For now he would just take it easy and hang out at the register. Sunday nights were usually slow so Luffy wouldn't mind, and if he didn't overdo it then maybe his shitty cold wouldn't act up too much...

However, more coughing soon had him doubled over and in agony while the customers backed away from the counter. This cold seemed to be getting worse, and right now it felt like someone had been using his head for a gong while kicking him in the side. He almost lost his balance when he straightened and a sudden wave of dizziness overwhelmed him.

Gazing longingly at the stupid cold medication sitting in their little pharmacy display next to the motion sickness relief pills, he grabbed another wad of napkins to clean off any stray spittle or snot. Trying to convince himself that he could ride out this illness and that he'd feel better tomorrow, Zoro tried to focus on the customers coming to the counter instead of the medicine right there in front of him, taunting him with the promise of cough relief and no headache.

He couldn't wait for this damn shift to end so he could go home and sleep.

It seemed that the time was absolutely crawling by… Every minute was hell, and Zoro was feeling more and more surly every time he checked the damn clock. His headache had worsened to the point of him breaking down and taking some of the cheap pain reliever from the store's first aid kit. It didn't do a thing for the damn cough though, and he was feeling more weak and disoriented than he had that morning. The continued onslaught of deep, painful coughing spasms made his stomach churn even as it sent burning pain through his ribs. It was probably because he hadn't eaten a damn thing all day since he'd had a small slice of pie for breakfast. He knew he should eat. However, even if he had the money to buy some dinner - which he didn't - the thought of chewing and swallowing made him feel nauseous, even more so than he already did.

Finally Zoro just couldn't put up with one more little old lady counting out her change with the same horrible slowness as the minute hand, and he demanded that Luffy take over the register. If Nami found out she'd freak out, but right now he felt like he'd strangle the next customer he saw… or vomit all over their shoes. Fortunately Luffy was all too happy to stand at the register and talk the ears off anyone in range, so Zoro took his chance to slip to the back of the store.

The coffee pot looked a little low so Zoro grabbed the bag of coffee grinds from under the counter, grunting in discomfort as he was forced to bend over. As he straightened he could feel the urge to cough tickling unbearably in the back of his throat. Willing himself not to give in and cough all over the coffee grinds, Zoro hurriedly pulled out the old coffee basket from the machine, tossed the old grinds, and stuffed a new filter inside. However, as he started pouring the new grounds, he couldn't hold it in anymore and he turned his head as his body shook with the force of his coughs.

"Fucking hell… Don't get your shitty moss germs in the coffee, asshole!"

Zoro refused to turn and look at the shitty blond. Some of the coffee had spilled on the counter, so he quietly wiped that up while keeping his mouth shut. Maybe if he ignored the fucker, he'd go away and bother Luffy.

"Oh my god, are you seriously just going to put that in the machine?! I just saw you fucking cough all over it!"

Zoro turned and scowled, "I did not!"

Sanji's lip curled in a disgusted sneer as he eyed the full coffee basket in Zoro's hands, "And you put way too much in there. Did you even wash your hands before pouring that in?"

Why would he wash his hands?! He was just touching the damn package! Huffing, Zoro turned to pour some of the coffee back into the bag.

"Fucking neanderthal…" The blond huffed and leaned on the counter; resting his weight on his hands, "I'm not drinking that contaminated shit. Go throw it out and then wash up before you try again."

Shooting the annoying bastard an exasperated look, Zoro sneered, "No one says you have to drink it. Please, go piss off to some other store."

"That's no way to treat your valuable customer. You're absolute shit at this job, you know? Why the hell do you work here anyway?"

Zoro shrugged as he gathered up the full coffee filter and carried it to the nearby trash can, "S'none of your damn business."

Sanji's gaze traveled slowly from his hair down to his ragged shoes, "You look terrible."

Throwing up his hands in frustration, Zoro stomped over to the employee sink and away from the mouthy, blond fucker. He cursed under his breath as he carefully washed his hands under the steaming water and fantasized about strangling the shitty cook before drowning him in this very sink. Sadly, murdering the bastard would definitely get him fired, so Zoro resigned himself to giving the chef the dirtiest look he could muster as he returned and stuffed a new filter into the coffee basket.

"So…" Sanji was not looking at him as he spoke, turning over his cigarette lighter in his hands repeatedly, "Did you reheat the food I gave you properly?"

Zoro grunted as he carefully poured less coffee into the filter than before and set it to brew, "I don't have time for that shit. Luffy ate most of it anyway."

"I see…"

Sanji's expression was unclear as he avoided Zoro's gaze and fiddled restlessly with that damn lighter. Was he upset? Zoro actually felt a little guilty about the whole thing, even though he didn't want to give this fucker the idea that he wanted handouts…

"The pie was fine."

That tired blue eye flicked over to meet his gaze in surprise briefly before the chef snorted, "My pie is the fucking best in the city, you heathen."

Rolling his eyes, Zoro spotted a customer waiting impatiently up at the counter and Luffy was mysteriously nowhere to be seen. Of course. Zoro waved his hand at the coffee before coughing harshly and mumbling, "It'll be ready in few minutes. Don't mess with it."

He could feel Sanji watching him as he hunched forward, caught up in another coughing fit that sent burning pain through his side. He struggled to breathe as his lungs spasmed out of his control, and he could barely see through the tears blurring his vision. His foot caught the edge of a shelf and his sluggish thoughts didn't catch up to the danger until he was already falling forward with nothing to stop him. "Oh shit!"


	5. Chapter 5

Sanji hunched over his desk and pinched the bridge of his nose with one hand, silently willing his pounding headache to disappear. However, his lack of caffeine and the voice screaming at him through the phone weren’t doing him any favors… He interrupted the angry stream of words in frustration, “I’m not saying you need to ask my permission, but that money is our joint business account. You really can’t just go using it from your personal reasons, dad!”

“I’m going to replace it when I balance the books on Sunday.” Zeff wasn’t screaming anymore, but Sanji could tell that he was still pissed from his sharp tone, “I don’t see what the problem is.”

“The problem…” Sanji shuffled through the papers on his desk, tucking his phone between his shoulder and his ear, “Is that you fucking bailed out that piece of shit, Caribou, even though this is the second or third time he’s been arrested for possession. You know as well as I do that he’s probably even dealing out of the back door of your fucking restaurant!”

Zeff was quiet for a moment, and Sanji shifted to hold his phone again as he looked over the order statement in his hand. The older chef sighed, “He would have lost his apartment. He just needs the chance to make some decent money to pay his gambling debts and make a clean break with his old friends.”

Sanji ground his teeth, “You need to stop trying to save every gang member and fucking criminal that comes through your door! Not everyone can be helped! It’s high time you hung up your apron and sold that rathole so you can go on those wine cruises you used to talk about...”

“Maybe if you could take your selfish, stupid head out from where you have it shoved up your pretentious ass, you could see that there are more important things than money! You know what it’s like for these boys, and no one else is going to cut them a break. You’ll get your fucking, precious money so just keep your damn panties on!”

“It’s not…!” Sanji dropped the document in his hand and gripped his hair in frustration, “I don’t have time to argue with you about this. I need to finish up here. Just please stop fucking giving all our capital to the fucking cops?”

Zeff’s response was to hang up without even a goodbye, and Sanji had to fight to resist the urge to scream curses and throw his damn phone at the wall. He understood what the old man was trying to do. He really did. No one knew better than the two of them how hard it was to get free of the shackles of poverty, homelessness and gang ties. However, Sanji also knew that those bastards his old man kept writing checks for out of the goodness of his shriveled, old heart were just playing Zeff for a fool. Honestly, Zeff probably knew it well too, but the shitty codger was even more stubborn than Sanji, and there was no way he’d give up trying to save their asses if he thought there was even the tiniest chance that he could help those guys find a better way of life.

Resigning himself to the aggravation that came from dealing with the old man with a heavy sigh, Sanji put his bills, receipts and other paperwork back into their folders before locking them all away in his desk. He powered down his laptop and slipped it into his leather attaché case before shouldering the bag’s strap and stalking down the hall toward the kitchen. It was far from the first time that he’d had this argument with Zeff, and it certainly wouldn’t be the last. One of these days the old man’s careless brand of charity was going to bite him in the ass, and Sanji just hoped that it didn’t end with a bullet in their backs. 

Still in a foul mood, Sanji kicked open the swinging, double-doors and marched straight up to his head chef, Jessica. Feeling too frustrated too bother to waste any niceties on his close friend and employee, he snatched the clipboard full of papers she was inspecting out of her hands. 

She wasn’t disturbed in the least by his rudeness - after nearly a decade of working together there was nothing he could throw at her that she couldn’t handle without breaking a sweat. She merely leaned back against the prep table and crossed her arms, waiting with a cocked eyebrow. It was precisely this cool and tough, confident attitude that was why he doubled her Christmas bonus every year. He flicked his gaze over her neat handwriting and felt the stress and pent-up fury in his body begin to ease as he could clearly see that Jess hadn’t overlooked a single detail. He nodded in satisfaction before scribbling his initials in approval on her proposed specials for the next day, “I don’t even need to ask if you’ve double-checked the menu for the senator’s dinner party tomorrow.”

Jessica snorted and plucked her clipboard back out of his grasp, “I’m already up to quintuple-checking. Also I took the liberty of preparing a complimentary bottle of the Domaine de Chevalier.”

Sanji hummed thoughtfully as he came closer to glance at her notes once more, “Good call. But please offer the senator the Contador instead. We can’t be giving him the same gift as the rest of his shitty cronies.”

“Of course.” Jessica made the note at the top of her papers before waving Sanji off, “I can’t finish my inventory if you’re going to hover there like some pathetic ghost. Go the hell home and think about sleeping? We both know your ass will be in here early tomorrow anyway.”

Sanji raised an eyebrow, “You have no room to lecture me on my sleeping habits!”

Jessica rolled her eyes, “Well unfortunately the shitty restaurant owner has hired a bunch of drooling idiots to work in my kitchen. So I’ll see you bright and early tomorrow.”

Grinning broadly, Sanji called over his shoulder as he headed for the back door, “You should tell that shitty owner to give you a fucking raise and a paid day off!”

The red-haired chef didn’t even look up from her clipboard as she casually flipped him off, “As if you would, you tight-ass miser!”

Sanji chuckled as he grabbed his plastic cooler full of leftovers sitting on one of the prep counters. The staff were all allowed to take home as much extra food as they needed after the night was done. That was one habit he got from the old man that he had no desire to change. He could never let anyone under his employment go hungry when there was always food to spare.

As he hefted the cooler with one arm and opened the back door, Sanji found himself thinking about that miserable cashier at the Sunny Mart. He couldn’t help but wonder what the bastard had thought of his restaurant’s food. No doubt he’d try and spout off some bullshit about it being bad. Not that Sanji cared about the opinion of a shitty cashier. The fucker probably wouldn't know a quality dish if it slapped him in the face. However, since he’d personally perfected each item on his menu, Sanji felt a certain responsibility for educating that classless fuckwit on the finer points of cuisine - even if he had to fucking cram it down the bastard’s throat with his foot.

Sanji tapped the key remote in his jacket to unlock his car, and skillfully balanced the box of food on one hand as he opened the passenger’s side door to place the box on the seat. Tomorrow he’d drop it off at one of the local soup kitchens on his way to work - the early hour was never an issue since the staff of the facility on Fourth and Chestnut had given him the combination to the back door months ago. He had plenty of food in his refrigerator at home right now, and he really he was happier knowing that these leftovers would be going to help people who deserved a good meal. 

Getting into the driver’s side of his car to go get his coffee and smokes, Sanji suddenly wondered if that cashier would even be at the store today. The scowly bastard had seemed pretty sick yesterday, and if he had any sense he’d have called out of work, taken some cold medication and slept through the day. Sanji snorted to himself. The guy seemed to be almost as much as a workaholic as he, himself was so he’d probably be there, but it would be a nice change to not have to see that ugly mug after a long, hectic workday; especially if the far more personable, miss Nami was working instead...

Putting the jaguar in gear, Sanji backed out of his reserved parking spot and turned onto the main road. He set a course for the Sunny Mart as he turned up the volume on his radio to hear the traffic report. The one good thing about getting out of work so late was that the drive across the city to his apartment always went so much smoother. As he pulled into the Sunny Mart parking lot, Sanji could see that damn cashier’s obnoxious, green hair through the large front window of the brightly lit store. The fucker was obviously still sick as he hunched over behind the cash register coughing. 

Sanji began to feel irritable all over again. Sick people should stay the fuck home and keep their goddamn diseases to themselves… Although as he parked and got out of his car, Sanji couldn’t help the little flash of memory of how Zeff had worked even while sick to keep the Baratie’s doors open… His ire lessened somewhat as he watched the fucker looking truly miserable as he rang out some old lady’s stack of canned cat food before leaving the counter with an unsteady gait. Maybe this bastard didn’t have a choice either. Maybe he had something he needed to protect.

Or maybe the guy was just a disgusting, inconsiderate dumbass. As Sanji entered the store, he was horrified to see the cashier fumbling with the coffee filter and grounds. The fucker definitely hadn’t washed his fucking hands. Regardless of whether or not he was sick as hell, this idiot had just been handling money and god-knows what else too! Sanji scowled as he watched the shitty cashier double over with a fit of nasty, harsh coughing as the coffee machine’s basket shook in his hands. Striding up behind the diseased fuckwit, Sanji snapped, “Fucking hell… Don’t get your shitty moss germs in the coffee, asshole!” 

He saw the cashier’s shoulders tense, indicating that he’d heard Sanji’s reprimand, but the fucker didn’t reply as he straightened and swiped at his mouth with his arm before grabbing a nearby rag to quickly brush spilled coffee grounds off the counter with one hand. Sanji watched in horror and disgust when the bastard went to shove the contaminated coffee basket into the brewer with his other hand. “Oh my god, are you seriously just going to put that in the machine?! I just saw you fucking cough all over it!”

To his relief the cashier pulled the coffee basket back from the machine with an irritated jerk. He turned to Sanji with a dark look and protested, “I did not!”

Sanji sneered with a pointed look at the contaminated coffee grounds in the dumbass cashier’s hands, “And you put way too much in there. Did you even wash your hands before pouring that in?” He watched the guy squirm in discomfort as he stupidly searched for a snarky comeback. However there was no fucking excuse for ignoring basic food safety. Sanji placed his hands on the counter, leaning in with a stern expression as he snapped, “Fucking neanderthal… I’m not drinking that contaminated shit! Go throw it out and then wash up before you try again.”

The stubborn bastard curled his lip and shot back, “No one says you have to drink it. Please, go piss off to some other store.”

Rolling his eyes at the childish jab, Sanji straightened and crossed his arms, “That’s no way to treat your valuable customer. You’re absolute shit at this job, you know? Why the hell do you work here anyway?”

“S’none of your damn business.”

Sanji watched as the sulking bastard pinched the top of the full coffee filter to keep it from spilling as he plucked it out of the basket. Satisfied that he’d gotten his point through the cashier’s thick skull, Sanji casually slipped his hands into his pockets. He tried not to think about how much his feet ached after working all day and keeping his shitty staff from fucking up his business. If it weren’t for the fact that this place was along the way on his daily commute, and that they were one of only a few stores that carried his preferred cigarette brand, Sanji would just fucking buy himself one of those coffee brewers that had a programmable timer. It certainly would save him wasted time trying to balance the taste when this idiot put in too many grounds. Although if the employees here weren’t washing their hands when they should, Sanji might have to buy a damn coffeemaker anyway. He sighed through his nose and resolved to talk to the lovely miss Nami about her shitty employees when he came by in the morning.

A small stumble caught his attention, and Sanji suddenly noticed how badly the shitty cashier was shaking as he threw out the contaminated coffee. Sanji looked him over with a sharp eye, noting how pale the guy appeared. He really shouldn’t be working today… “You look terrible.”

The cashier shot him a dark look and made a sharp, meaningless gesture that only communicated his general annoyance at Sanji’s refusal to let this shit drop before fucking finally going over to the nearby sink to wash his hands. Sanji smiled smugly to himself as he listened to the filthy idiot muttering curses while he cleaned up. Maybe the bastard would fucking remember to wash his damn hands from now on.

Watching as the cashier put a new, clean filter into the coffee basket, Sanji absently dug his gold-plated zippo lighter out of his pocket and turned it over in his palm rhythmically as he traced the embossed design in the metal with his thumb. His thoughts returned to their earlier track as he wondered what this guy had thought of his restaurant's food. He cleared his throat before asking, “So… Did you reheat the food I gave you properly?”

“I don’t have time for that shit. Luffy ate most of it anyway.” The cashier turned with a challenging look in his eyes.

“I see…” Sanji flipped the lighter over in his palm to trace the other side. He felt irritated that this ungrateful bastard had ignored his good intentions and fucking given away his food. He’d been trying to help the guy out after he’d given his dinner to a homeless man, but instead this guy had gone and also given away what Sanji had gifted him. The fucker was either incredibly generous, or he really fucking hated Sanji that much.

“The pie was fine.”

Sanji blinked in surprise. That was almost a compliment. Maybe this guy did actually appreciate Sanji’s gesture of goodwill - even if he was too stubborn to come out and say so... Smiling a little to himself before scoffing dramatically, Sanji slipped his lighter back into his pocket, “My pie is the fucking best in the city, you heathen.”

The cashier amiably rolled his eyes before glancing up to the front of the store and scowling at the irritated customer waiting at the unattended register. He jerked his hand toward the coffee before muttering, “It’ll be ready in few minutes.”

Sanji nodded understandingly before pulling out his phone to see if there were any new Yelp reviews about his restaurant. He was distracted from reading a glowing recommendation of his appetizers when the cashier started violently coughing again. It was a worryingly deep and wet sound. Sanji looked up to see the cashier clutching his side, wheezing pitifully between harsh, barking coughs as he stumbled forward. The blond saw the moment when the poor bastard tripped, and he rushed forward to help even before the cashier hit the floor.

He had rolled to his side, but he wasn’t moving to get up when Sanji reached him. Frankly the chef wasn’t surprised. He’d impacted the ground pretty hard, and it had looked like the poor guy had barely been able to throw out one arm in time to try and break the fall. Sanji crouched beside the injured man where he’d partially curled in on himself in pain. The chef immediately noticed the blood streaming from the cashier’s swelling nose, and he quickly swiped on the screen of his phone that he was still holding in one hand and prepared to call for an ambulance.

“Don’t…” The cashier began to try and sit up; his bloodied face was red and tear-tracks were staining his cheeks, “M’fine. No hospital.”

“Like hell you’re fine!” Sanji snapped, but he put his phone away despite his better judgement, “Where the fuck is your shitty boss?!” Looking around Sanji didn’t see anyone else beside the openly staring customer at the counter. Sanji stood and strode over to the office; however he didn’t see the owner through the open door, so instead he barged through the ‘employees only’ entrance to the back room. He found the owner staring at him with startled, guilty eyes with an open box of powdered, mini donuts on the table in front of him - sugar coating his fingers and face. Sanji jerked his head back toward the shop floor, “Your man there fell pretty hard. He hit his head and I’m guessing he probably has a shitty concussion.”

The owner jumped to his feet with alarm in his eyes, “Zoro’s hurt?”

Sanji stepped aside to let him pass as the slighter man rushed through the backroom door before he followed the owner back out into the store. The cashier was sitting up now; holding a bloody wad of napkins to his nose as the other customer pulled another handful out of the dispenser on the counter. The store owner rushed over to his injured employee while Sanji lingered nearby with his hands in his pockets. He listened to the owner’s worried questions as he watched how the cashier tried to hide his pained reactions with every small movement he made. Finally the owner nodded his head decisively, “Okay you gotta go to the hospital to get checked out.”

The cashier scowled as he argued, “I said I’m fine. I don’t fucking need to go to the hospital!”

“Zoro,” The owner’s tone was as serious as his sharp gaze, “You don’t have a choice. You fell at work, and you might have hurt your head real bad. You have to go.”

The cashier looked down at the tacky puddle of blood staining the floor tiles as he kept the red-soaked napkins against his nose, and Sanji could practically feel his frustration, “I know that, Lu, but I don’t have…”

The owner interrupted him gently, “It’s a work-related incident. Take my card. Our insurance will pay me back for this.” After a second the lanky young man added, “And make sure you get whatever you need for your cough too.”

The act of open generosity tugged at Sanji’s heart as he saw how the cashier looked up at his boss with a vulnerable expression of relief and gratitude in his eyes. The store owner pulled out his wallet and slipped it into the cashier’s palm. Clearing his throat awkwardly, Sanji spoke up, “I can take him to the hospital. He shouldn’t be driving like this, and that way he doesn’t have to wait for an ambulance or whatever.”

The store owner gave him a bright smile, “Thanks, Sanji!” He clapped the cashier on the shoulder before standing, “I’m going to go call and let your babysitter know that you’ll probably be home late. It always takes forever every time I go to the ER!”

Sanji offered the cashier a hand. The injured man hesitated a moment before accepting the help; relying heavily on Sanji’s grip as he slowly climbed to his feet. More blood trickled from his nose and down over his chin when he nearly fell over again, and flailed out the hand clutching the bloody napkins for balance. Sanji let him pull his other hand away, but he stayed close as the poor bastard wobbled perilously on his feet, “You have everything you need?” The cashier nodded slowly as he pressed the napkins to his nose again, before wincing in pain. Sanji kept a careful eye out that the guy wasn’t going to collapse again, even as he slipped a hand back into his pocket to restlessly run his fingers along the warm metal of his lighter, “Well then let’s get our asses on the road.”

“Hey Sanji!” He turned just in time to see the store owner toss a pack of cigarettes his way. Catching them in midair with his free hand, he saw that they were his usual brand. Grinning broadly at him, the store owner adjusted the brim of his yellow ballcap, “That’s on me today. As a thank you for helping Zoro!” He nodded at miserable cashier, “Go get fixed up! Don’t forget you gotta call me and let me know what the doctor says!”

The cashier grumbled a vague agreement as he kept his wad of napkins in place. Having no desire to pay to have blood removed from his car - and even less interest in having to explain why it was fucking there in the first place - Sanji took a quick detour to snatch a generous handful of paper napkins out of the holder by the register before he followed the cashier out of the store.

For once the bastard was completely silent. He didn’t have any snarky insults when Sanji opened the passenger door to let him get in. Sanji got into the driver’s side, strapped in, and pointedly stuffed the clean napkins into the passenger’s side cupholder before he put the jaguar in gear. The cashier just slumped against the car door, sullenly sniffling into his fucking bloody napkins as Sanji pulled out into traffic.

Sanji turned down the radio until it was only background noise and impatiently tapped his fingers on his steering wheel. His mind was full of questions right now, but he settled for blurting out only the one that had him the most curious, “So you have a family?”

The cashier’s eyes narrowed as he looked over at Sanji. The blond shrugged his shoulders as he quickly added, “He mentioned that you have a babysitter back there so I thought… How many kids do you have?”

Rolling his eyes, the cashier turned back to the window, “That’s none of your damn business. Turn here. You’re gonna miss the hospital, blondie.”

“I know where to turn! There’s a fucking huge sign, you damn ingrate! I didn’t have to drive your ass here you know!” Sanji shot his passenger an angry glance before flipping on his blinker and viciously yanking on his wheel to careen around the corner.

He smirked as the cashier flailed a little in his seat from the unexpected jolt. He curled over and coughed deeply for several seconds before gasping for air and glaring up at Sanji with watery eyes as he snapped, “Fucking watch it, cyclops!”

“Saaaaanji. My name is Sanji. Or Mr. Baratie to uncouth, green mutants like you.”

The cashier curled his lip in a sneer, “At least I’m not a pretentious, emo prick who thinks he’s better than everyone!”

“Well now I might just have to drive my very expensive car home to my luxurious penthouse and cry into my feather pillow over that.” Sanji flashed his teeth in a smug grin as the cashier’s scowl deepened, “You really hurt my feelings, and here I am being nice to your snotty ass...”

The cashier flipped him off before smirking, “Only if this piece of shit doesn’t break down again. And you missed the hospital entrance, your fucking highness.”

Cursing, Sanji screeched into a u-turn; causing the drivers around them to honk wildly in outrage. He kept spitting out every expletive he knew in several languages as his shitty passenger looked infuriatingly satisfied. He slammed on the brake in front of the ER entrance and let the vehicle idle as the cashier climbed out. The green-haired bastard lingered a moment, coughing a little as he clung to the open door. Then he surprised Sanji by turning and giving him a quick nod, “Thanks for the ride.”

“Sure.” Sanji blinked as the cashier shut the door and shuffled toward the hospital’s automatic doors. Fidgeting his fingers against the leather of his steering wheel, Sanji hesitated to pull away.

He glanced over to see the shitty bastard through the glass doors, weaving on his feet like a damn drunk as he approached the check-in and he made up his mind. Quickly finding a parking space, Sanji got his laptop bag out of the back before clicking the automatic lock. The food would be just fine in the cooler for a few hours if need be. He just couldn’t leave that asshole stranded here, and it wasn’t like he had any grand plans at home besides the usual researching suppliers, responding to emails and looking through other people’s shitty recipes on Pintrest.

Taking a few minutes first to enjoy a smoke outside, Sanji threw out his spent butt and went into the ER. It was easy to spot the cashier’s dumb, green hair in the crowd of other unhappy looking patients impatiently eyeing the busy nurses around them from their seats. The big lug was frowning as he was filling out some papers on a clipboard. Sanji sat down across from him without saying a word, and pulled out his computer.

He was well into typing out a reply to a certain wealthy businessman’s employee - regarding questions about the entree choices for dinner meeting he was scheduling for next month - before the sorry-looking bastard he’d dragged here even noticed him. Sanji could feel the irritation radiating from the cashier’s tense stance as he loomed over him with a scowl, “What the fuck are you doing?”

Schooling his face into a bland expression, Sanji glanced up into the rude bastard’s stormy, black eyes, “Well Mr. Gin here seems unable to grasp the simple concept that if he wants to change the menu for his shitty dinner party then he will also have to consider a different selection of wines. Because fish and steak are…”

“Don’t fuck with me! Why are you still here?” 

Sanji rolled his eyes, “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you wanted to fucking walk back home to whatever shitty cave you live in. Maybe you can fall on your face a few more times and improve your looks.”

Speaking through gritted teeth, the cashier’s hands tightened into fists, “I don’t need your fucking help, asshole. Go the fuck away and find some serial killer hitch-hiker to drive around!”

Taking a moment to save his email draft, Sanji closed his laptop and asked seriously, “So how are you getting home? Are you paying for a cab? You planning on having that babysitter or whoever drag your family here? It’s already past midnight.” Sanji observed how the cashier’s facial muscles twitched unhappily at his words and he added gently, “I’m already here. There’s free wifi, and all I was planning to do at home tonight was work on this shit anyway. Let me drive you home and you can owe me a decent cup of coffee sometime.”

The cashier’s expression was calculating as he looked down at Sanji - considering. Finally he went and sat back down in his chair with a groan, “Fuck you and your shitty coffee…”

Sanji grinned before opening his laptop once more. As he finished up his email, he asked conversationally, “You don’t drink coffee?”

“Hell no.”

A fit of violent coughing made Sanji look up in concern. The cashier was clutching his side like he was in pain as he wheezed and hacked until his face turned red. The blond frowned, “Hey, did they say how long you would have to wait? You sound even worse than you look.”

Sitting back up and slumping down into his seat in obvious exhaustion, the cashier, shrugged and fiddled absently with the nametag still on the front of his bloodstained store uniform, “She said they are pretty busy tonight and it could be a while.”

Sanji scowled, “Did you tell her that you have a fucking head injury?” The big, green-haired dumbass with potential fucking brain trauma only shrugged again. Rolling his eyes in exasperation, Sanji clicked on the next email and began to write out yet another curt refusal to one of that crazy, celebrity-chef Carmen’s amorous proposals.

Nearly an hour later a nurse finally came into the waiting room, stumbling over the name on the chart she was holding, “Mr. Zoro Roro… Ronoa?”

“Zoro Roronoa.” The cashier corrected as he stood up and followed her into the next room.

Ignoring the people awkwardly sniffling, coughing and talking about the fucking weather forecast around him, Sanji signed into his Pintrest account and scoffed at miss Tammyy987’s ‘best souffle recipe ever!’ He repinned a Christmas cookie recipe that he wanted to try sometime during the holiday season, and then easily wasted over an hour looking through different articles on breads. It was almost three in the morning when Zoro finally returned. He was clutching a little box of medication and a pamphlet on pneumonia. No wonder the poor bastard looked like shit.

Sanji put away his laptop and stood, stretching out his stiff back and joints, “Ready to go?”

Zoro nodded and followed docilely behind him as Sanji led the way out to his car. The cashier told him the address after they both got in, and Sanji promptly programmed it into his dashboard’s touchscreen gps. Beside him the cashier pulled out an old, battered cellphone and dialed a number. Sanji pulled out of the parking lot and began to follow the gps’s directions as Zoro talked, “It’s me Lu. Sorry it’s so late. No, no, I’m okay.” He glanced over at Sanji and the blond tried to make it less obvious that he was blatantly listening as the cashier continued the conversation, “Yeah. The doctor said I have fucking pneumonia because Garp cracked my shitty ribs.” Sanji heard obnoxious laughter through the phone as Zoro scowled, “Shut up. I can’t come in to work though… She said four days, and that I can’t lift shit for at least a month.”

He fell silent, and Sanji glanced over curiously. The cashier’s frown deepened as the store manager talked on the other end of the line for a while before he ended the call with a murmured, “Thanks, Lu. I’ll see you later.” He sighed and just sat for a few seconds in silence before he dialed a second number, “Hey Franky, I’m on my way home… I’m okay. No, don’t get him up. It’s okay if he sleeps there, right?” Zoro was quiet for a moment and Sanji could almost make out what the energetic man on the other end of the phone was asking. Shaking his head, Zoro looked over at Sanji again, “No, no. I caught a ride with a guy from work. I’ll just get a few things that Tony needs for tomorrow and then I’ll be right over, okay? Thanks Franky.”

He clicked the phone off and let it drop into his lap with a groan. Sanji gave him a sympathetic glance, “Pneumonia huh? That’s rough, man.” 

“Fuck.” Zoro rubbed at his eyes tiredly, “You don’t even know…”

The two of them lapsed into silence as Zoro slumped against the car door and began to doze. No doubt the hospital had pumped him full of drugs before they sent him home. Sanji turned into one of the rougher neighborhoods in the city when the gps prompted him to take the next left. Many of the cramped rowhouses they passed had boarded-up windows and iron gates securing the entrances. It reminded him of his shitty neighborhood as a kid - back before Zeff had lost his leg, and they’d lost everything... The gps announced their arrival and Sanji parked at the curb in front of an old apartment building. Reaching over he gently shook Zoro’s shoulder, “Hey, we’re here. Do think you can make it in okay?”

Grumbling, Zoro fumbled with his seatbelt, “M’just tired - not fucking helpless…”

Sanji watched him struggle out of the car, “Obviously. Guess I’ll be seeing you in a week?”

Zoro paused before shutting the car door, “Yeah, see you then, blondie.”

Waiting until the cashier made it up the short flight of steps and got the building’s entrance open, Sanji only pulled away when he’d completely lost sight of Zoro as the front doors closed behind him. Sanji pulled away from the curb and headed for the other side of town. He had enough time to get a couple hours of sleep tonight before he had to get up again for work. It wouldn’t be the first time, and he knew an energy drink or two from the Sunny Mart should get him through the day okay.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zoro goes back to work, and Tony gets to ride a real bus.

After finishing the little bit of cereal that Tony had leftover from breakfast and putting the bowl in the sink, Zoro hurriedly swallowed the unwanted crusts from the sandwiches he’d made to bring along for his son and wandered into the living room area to get dressed. He pulled on clean sweatpants, his favorite dark-blue sleeveless tee, and a worn jacket. The brief stretch of putting on his clothes sent a twinge of pain through his still-injured side. It had been a damn week, but the doctor had warned him that his ribs would most likely take a month to heal properly. It was frustrating, and he was just grateful that Garp was letting him come into work.

Grabbing his wallet, and a grocery bag that had his Sunny Mart uniform and the ziploc bag with Tony’s two sandwiches off the kitchen table, Zoro found his gaze straying back to the still-strange, empty spot where the television had been. In the end he’d needed to pawn the stupid thing and sell his car to some shady bastard in order to try and make a dent in his endless bills. He’d straight up refused to take any more of Luffy’s money since the store owner had already footed the bill from the ER and his prescriptions. There was no way he’d ask for anything from Garp either; if fact he hadn’t even explained that he’d busted his side at the gym. Lately the gym had been struggling to keep up attendance at their classes, and with the competition from multiple, better-equipped facilities in the city there was no way that Garp would be able to pay him for sick leave. In the end Zoro had missed one of his loan payments, but he’d managed to keep the apartment, pay the utilities and keep his son fed and himself from starving.

Striding over to Tony’s room, Zoro stuck his head inside and grinned at the sight of his son rolling on the floor trying to zip up an overflowing backpack, his fuzzy hair sticking up wildly in strange directions. “Chopper-buddy, you ready to go?”

Tony pouted up at him with his lethal, brown, puppy eyes, “It won’t shut!”

Zoro carefully got down on one knee and examined the problem, “Well Tony-Tony you have too much stuff in there. You gotta leave some things here, okay?”

“But daddy!” Tony whined, tears springing instantly to his eyes, “I need all this stuff!” 

Rolling his eyes, Zoro tugged a sweater from where his son had tried to jam it in with his coloring books, “Really?”

Tony fidgeted, “But it might get cold?”

Zoro snorted, “You’re wearing a jacket, weirdo.” He dramatically tossed the sweater over his shoulder and pulled out the illustrated children’s encyclopedia on the letter ‘h’, “Well you’re already too smart so you don’t need to bring this either!” He grinned as he threw the book into a corner. By now Tony was giggling, and joined him eagerly in the fun of unpacking. The two of them pulled out a few more picture books and a large godzilla action figure from their last thrift-store visit and flung everything haphazardly around the room.

Still laughing at Zoro’s antics and silly faces, Tony let Zoro help him put on his now zip-able backpack, “Daddy, you made a mess!”

Zoro looked around in wide-eyed, mock horror, “Oh my god we better run before we have to clean it up!”

Tony dashed out of the room with a delighted squeal, and Zoro gingerly got back to his feet before jogging after his son. He paused to lock the apartment and shouted down the hall before Tony reached the stairs, “Don’t go too far, speedy!”

His son was squirming impatiently by the time Zoro caught up, and he was racing ahead down the stairs the instant Zoro started down the steps. “Tony! Don’t run down the stairs!” But his warning came too late and he heard his son yelp and the distinct sound of a slip. His heart pounded as he rushed ahead.

However, instead of hearing Tony fall or cry Zoro heard a familiar warm chuckle, “Whoa little buddy! That was a super dive you just took! You gotta be more careful on the stairs!”

Zoro felt relief wash over him when he made the last turn on the stairs and saw Franky set Tony safely on his feet at the bottom of the stairwell. However his neighbor’s cheerful expression fell and his mouth thinned unhappily when he looked up at Zoro. Avoiding the sharp gaze behind Franky’s stupid sunglasses, Zoro jogged down the last few steps and took Tony’s hand, “Did you thank Mr. Franky?” Tony smiled sunnily and chirped a polite thanks before launching into an energetic monologue about how he was going to get to ride a real bus. Zoro tugged at Tony’s hand, “C’mon, Chopper-buddy, we can’t miss the bus.” He continued to avoid Franky’s displeased gaze as his son said goodbye before he could finally pull him away and start off for their bus stop. He still felt bad about the situation with Franky, but that didn’t change the fact that he couldn’t afford to pay the man to watch Tony anymore. He sure as hell wasn’t letting Franky do it for free either - they’d had quite the fight over it, and obviously his neighbor was still ‘fed up with his super stubborn insistence on being an idiot who was too proud to accept help when he needed it’. Whatever. Tony was excited to come to work with Zoro, and they had everything under control.

Moments later Zoro was feeling a lot less in control and a lot more frustrated as they ran up to their stop just as the shitty bus was pulling away. It kept going even though Zoro shouted after it and waved his arms wildly. Gritting his teeth and grabbing Tony’s hand again, Zoro tried to think through his options. He knew there would be another bus along in the next forty minutes or so, but he would be horribly late to work, and he couldn’t do that to Garp after the man had already been down an instructor for the last week. They would still be late if they walked, but it might be better than waiting for the next bus…

“Excuse me young man,” Startled, Zoro spun to face the stranger who had snuck up on him. The short, elderly lady looked up with him with a disconcertingly large grin. She looked like she might be homeless - with her wild, curly hair, and ugly, mismatched clothes - however her eyes were kind, “Now listen to auntie Koko, there’s another bus stop two blocks away and you can catch that bus if you run!”

Zoro glanced in the direction that the strange lady was pointing and saw that the bus was still waiting at the red light on their block. “Right, okay, Tony let’s piggyback, okay?” Zoro crouched just enough to let his son clamber onto his back and cling to his shoulders. His healing ribs ached after bending over even just that little bit, but Zoro ignored the discomfort and hooked his arms securely around Tony’s legs. He nodded his thanks at the strange, old woman before dashing off down the sidewalk. Tony squealed with delight as Zoro dodged angry businessmen clinging to their cellphones and glaring women in high heels. It was close, but they made it just in time. Exhausted from pushing his weakened body so hard, Zoro let Tony down and stumbled up the few steps into the bus. The driver eyed him dubiously as he stood there sweating and shaking, but Zoro didn’t give one shit what that bastard thought as he dug out his wallet and tapped his new, seven-day passes on the validator. Catching Tony’s hand once more, Zoro tugged him to an empty seat. The little boy quickly scooted over to the window where he alternated between staring wide-eyed at the city passing by, and gawking rudely at the motley collection of bus passengers. Keeping a close eye on his son, Zoro slouched comfortably in his seat and watched for their stop.

They got off the bus just across the street from the Iron Monkey Gym. Zoro held tightly to Tony’s hand as the two of them rushed across the crosswalk. His was the first class of the day on the weekends and the parking-lot was empty except for the gym owner’s old, blue pickup truck. Using his copy of the gym’s key to get in, Zoro wasn’t all that surprised when Garp bellowed a hello from his office as soon as they walked in the front door immediately followed by his boss demanding, “Roronoa! Get your ass in here!”

Zoro groaned. What could his boss possibly want? He was actually a few minutes early for once! Please don’t let this be the day that Garp decided to fire him... Tony’s eyes were huge and he clung tightly to Zoro’s hand as Zoro slunk unhappily into his boss’ office. 

Garp stood up from his desk chair when they entered. He easily had half a foot on Zoro, and his height made his thick muscles look even more intimidating under his black tee-shirt when the gym owner crossed his beefy arms with a scowl. “I need to make something clear, son” Zoro swallowed under Garp’s piercing gaze, “If you ever - and I mean ever - pull the shit you did last week again I will not hesitate to kick your ass and then throw you to the curb! Got it?”

“Yes sir…” Unable to stand the anger and disappointment in the old man’s expression, Zoro dropped his eyes and mumbled, “I didn’t mean to take that much time off, but I’ll be careful not to get sick again. And--”

“Dumbass!” Garp roared; making Tony scramble to hide behind Zoro’s leg, and Zoro flinch back toward the office door, “I’m not talking about that! I’m saying that if you hide a work injury like that again I will break both your legs!” 

Zoro blinked, “Oh.” Giving his frightened son a reassuring pat, Zoro murmured sheepishly, “So Luffy told you, huh.”

Garp nodded seriously, “He also reassured me that he handled everything. So you better thank him, because if my grandson hadn’t stepped in, I would be strangling you with my bare hands, you stubborn fool.” The older man sighed, “You are incredibly talented, son. I want to see you succeed here, but I can’t allow a trainer to work in my gym who abuses his body. Understand?”

“I’m sorry.” Zoro felt ashamed, but he met Garp’s eyes sincerely. He would work harder and make sure he didn’t get sick or injured again.

His boss’ lined face crinkled in good humor as he grinned broadly, “Apology accepted! Now is this little brat your Tony? He’s growing like a damn weed!”

Tony still had a death grip on Zoro’s pants - brown eyes enormous as he watched Garp step closer and crouch his huge frame to get eye-level with the little boy. Zoro smiled and gently tousled his son’s wild hair, “Yeah, he won’t stop growing. I’m terrified that I’m gonna wake up tomorrow and find him going to medical school or driving!” Tony relaxed slightly and giggled softly at that.

Garp snorted, “Tell me about it. Hey little man. You want to learn how to throw a real punch?”

Tony’s eyes sparkled with delight and he nodded so quickly he bumped his head against the back of Zoro’s leg. Zoro rolled his eyes, “Garp. He’s too little to train with the adults. He can watch us, but…”

“Actually,” Garp straightened with a wink, “That’s the other thing I want to discuss with you.” Coming close, the larger man clapped a broad hand on Zoro’s shoulder and urged him out of the office. Tony scrambled to follow - still anxiously clutching Zoro’s pant-leg on the opposite side of the gym owner as he snuck glances at Garp. They strolled toward the equipment storage as Garp explained, “That damned twenty-four hour gym down the road has been stealing our business for months. Of course we have better trainers, but that doesn’t matter to the sad sacks that flock to those places.” Garp scowled, “I know I’ve told you that profits have been down.”

Zoro nodded as he watched Garp unlock the storage room, “We got a few new clients several weeks ago though.”

“Doesn’t matter.” Garp grunted as he shoved aside a plastic bin filled with blue training mats, “We were looking at having to close next year if this shit kept up.”

“What?!” Zoro looked at his boss in horror. He couldn’t lose this position! He’d might as well go back to working in a goddamn factory if this place closed, because there was no way in hell one of those fancy downtown gyms would hire a man without a college degree, or even a fucking high-school diploma.

Garp grinned and tapped his white-haired temple, “So that’s why I came up with a plan! We’re starting two kid’s classes, and I want you to teach them.”

Zoro’s eyes went wide as he stumbled over his words, “But I’ve never--! What about my other classes? I don’t know if I can even…”

Patting him reassuringly on the back, Garp chuckled, “Son, I know you can do this. See here - we have all the equipment you could want.” Pulling out child-sized training bags, Garp continued to explain, “We’re doing the kiddie classes on the weekend only right now, and I’m moving all your weekend adult classes to the other trainers.” The older man held up a finger before Zoro could protest, “I’m also adding an early morning class during the week, so I’ll need you here at four. Think you can handle that, Roronoa?”

Chewing his lip uncertainly, Zoro looked down at his son. He wanted to agree, but he couldn’t drag Tony down to the gym everyday that early. He couldn’t leave him home either because he didn’t have a babysitter anymore... “Um, I--”

“Think about it. We won’t be starting the early classes until January.”

Zoro nodded in relief, “I’ll think about it, sir.”

Garp scoffed, “Now that all that business nonsense is taken care of - get your lazy ass changed and I’ll show you the new equipment. You have five students coming in half an hour.”

“Yes sir.” Zoro grinned at the mischievous twinkle in Garp’s eye.

The gym owner gave him a friendly, but painful, slap on the back and laughed, “Good man! You’ll see! These new classes will put us back in business, and then I can retire and have you run this shithole instead!”

His shoulder still stinging warmly, Zoro headed for the locker room. Tony was right on his heels asking incessant questions about Garp and why his boss ‘says so many bad words’. However, Zoro was too distracted to do more than give him half-assed answers. His thoughts were still stuck on Garp’s comment about having him run the gym, and he couldn’t help but feel like shit was finally starting to go his way. He just had to make things work a few more years and pay off his shitty loans.

After the class, Zoro was tired and sore but still feeling positive. His new students had been eager to learn and adorably obedient. It was actually a welcomed change from how the older ladies in his Tai Chi class would giggle and leer while making excuses to touch his chest and arms. Tony had been equally excited to take part in the class, and Zoro was immensely proud of how well his son followed instructions and learned the first few moves of his first form. He was actually looking forward to bonding with Tony through a new, shared love of martial arts. Inside the locker room, Zoro listened as the little guy happily chattered about what he had learned. Moving somewhat stiffly, Zoro changed out of his karategi and showered before putting on his slightly wrinkled Sunny Mart uniform in the single stall. His son wasn’t at all enthused about getting ready to leave as he sat on the locker room bench munching on his peanut butter and banana sandwich, and playing with the ends of his new, beginner’s-level, white belt. Tony was so pleased with the child-sized gi that Garp had given him, and he’d started to throw a tantrum when Zoro tried to make him get dressed again. In the end Zoro had needed to bribe him with the promise of gum later on at the Sunny Mart in order to get Tony to change back into his jeans and tee-shirt. 

Zoro grabbed his wallet and his outdated cellphone from his locker as he wriggled his socked feet into his old sneakers. He had thirteen missed calls. Frowning, he scrolled through the numbers with a growing sense of dread; they were all from the same caller. Chewing on his bottom lip, Zoro eyed the single, message-waiting indicator for his voicemail. He knew who had been calling. It was the same collection bastard that had been calling him every day since he missed his last payment to Krieg’s loan agency. Feeling anxious, Zoro shoved the phone into his jacket pocket. The calls had been getting more aggressive, and Zoro just really didn’t want to deal with that shit right now. 

“Tony, are you ready to go?”

The little boy bounced with excitement, “Are we going back on the bus?”

Zoro snorted, “Yeah, Chopper-buddy. Daddy has to go work at the Sunny now, remember?”

“Yeah!” Tony grabbed his hand and began to tug him toward the door, “I wanna sit by the window again!”

“Sure thing, Tony-Tony.” Zoro nodded a goodbye to Garp as the gym owner bustled about before waving to the next instructor who was setting up for his class. Kaku taught muay thai style kickboxing and yoga, and had been hired by Garp only a year after Zoro.

Jogging over, the friendly redhead reached out to give Zoro a quick fistbump, “Wasup, homey! And who’s this fly little man?”

Zoro smiled proudly, “This is my son, Tony.”

Kaku laughed and held out his fist for Tony to bump shyly, “You lyin’! Last time I saw this dawg, he was just a lil’ shorty! Now he’s all grown up!”

“It has been a while.” Zoro nodded in agreement. When he’d been hired by Garp three years ago, Tony was still a toddler, and Zoro had to take him everywhere because he couldn’t afford a sitter the first year after he quit his factory job. In the end he’d worked out a deal with Franky, and he’d been able to work more hours. Zoro reached down and rubbed Tony’s back, “Chopper-buddy do you remember Mr. Kaku? He used to help me watch you when you were younger.”

Tony bobbed his head in affirmation - his gaze was fixed in fascination on the multi-colored tattoo sleeve on Kaku’s right arm. The older man grinned and crouched so that the little boy could take a closer look at the flowing designs revealed by his sleeveless, white tee-shirt. Tilting his head curiously, Tony asked, “Did you color on yourself? Daddy says I shouldn’t do that.”

Zoro couldn’t hold back a laugh at that, and Kaku covered his face with one hand; his shoulders shaking as he chuckled. Tony looked between the two of them - his expression part confusion and part offense, “What?!”

Kaku tapped his tattoo, “This isn’t marker, little man. This is real ink. I paid out the ass to get this shit done, ‘na mean?” The redhead glanced up as Zoro cleared his throat pointedly. Kaku smiled apologetically, “Ah sorry. Gotta watch my damn mouth. I mean, it takes a lotta cheddar to get tattoos like this.”

Tony gently poked at a neon image of a scowling, anthropomorphized giraffe holding a bloody sword. It took up a large part of the sleeve while the rest of the image was filled in with zombie pirates, strange fruits and other colorful, random designs. The little boy was obviously impressed, and his brown eyes practically gleamed in admiration, “So cool!”

Zoro snorted and offered Kaku a hand up, “We need to catch the bus so we need to get going. We’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Sure, sure.” Kaku let Zoro help him to his feet before pulling the younger man in for a one-armed hug, “Holla at me sometime and we’ll hang. You got my digits, right?”

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure I do.” Zoro stepped back and gave Tony a nod, “Make sure you say goodbye to Mister Kaku.”

“Bye!” Tony chirped obediently with a broad smile.

Kaku gave the little boy a parting fistbump, “Catch you on the flip-side, homeslice!”

Zoro made sure that Tony had his backpack and jacket properly zipped up before they left out the front door. Kaku gave them one last wave as Zoro held the door open for his son before the redhead went back into the main room to finish his setting up for his class. Taking Tony’s hand, Zoro led him back across the street to the bus stop. Traveling by public transportation took a lot more time than Zoro driving himself - so to make sure they would be on time for his shift they were going straight from the gym to the Sunny Mart today. Zoro reminded himself that he was going to have to talk to Nami about adjusting his schedule during the week so he could pick Tony up from the school-bus every day. 

Tony was just as excited for his second public transportation ride as his first. He made a beeline for a window seat as Zoro swiped their cards. Just as Zoro got settled and the bus pulled away from the curb, his phone started vibrating in his jacket. Pulling it out, Zoro eyed the all-too-familiar number. It was the goddamn goon from Krieg’s loan office again. Zoro felt a moment of panic and indecision before he rejected the call. He shoved the cellphone back into his pocket. There wasn’t any point in talking to those bastards. He had no fucking money, and they wouldn’t get their fucking payment until he was damn well able to pay. It wasn’t even three minutes later when Zoro felt his phone go off again. Gritting his teeth, Zoro jerked his phone back out and forcefully jabbed the power button until the fucking thing finally shut down. He leaned back in his seat with an unhappy sigh, shoving his cellphone back into his coat. There was just no way he was ever gonna catch a damn break, was he?

Zoro spent the rest of the ride worrying. Krieg wasn’t a kind man, and Zoro knew that ignoring the calls from the loan office would just piss the bastard off more. Honestly, Zoro didn’t want to be on his bad side, and his mind raced as he remembered all the threats from the last time he’d missed a payment. By the time the bus reached their stop, Zoro was jumpy and paranoid. As he walked down the block to the Sunny Mart with Tony at his side, Zoro swore he could feel someone watching them. However, every time he turned to look there was no one there... He felt uncharacteristically relieved to step through the front doors of the Sunny Mart, and Zoro was more than a little embarrassed with himself for how he’d let his thoughts get carried away.

After getting Tony settled in the breakroom with his coloring book and crayons and strict instructions not to move, Zoro walked out to punch in at the time-clock by the office. Coby waved him over to the register, and Zoro clocked in before strolling over, “Hey man, thanks again for covering those shifts for me last week.”

Coby adjusted his glasses with a grin, “It’s good to see you back! Usopp and I had a hard time while you were out.”

“Sorry about that.”

Scratching at the shaved sides of his light-blond undercut, Coby shrugged, “We made it work, and you needed the time off.” His eyes darted to the breakroom door before he asked, “So is that your kid?”

“Yeah. I’m gonna be bringing him to work for a little bit.”

Coby frowned, “You know I could watch him in the evenings if you need someone? I like kids, and I used to babysit my nieces all the time for my sister.”

Zoro smiled genuinely, “That’s okay. This is easier for us, and Tony actually likes coming to my jobs. Besides, you need to keep up with your training before you start with the police academy.”

“That’s true.” Coby patted his stomach ruefully, “I think I gained weight again. It’s hard to keep up my routine during midterms.”

“Don’t give up on it, and just keep focused on the goal. You’ve come a long way, man.” Zoro reached across the counter to give the younger man an encouraging pat on the shoulder. Back when Coby had first found out that Zoro also worked in a gym, the college student had confided that he struggled with weight, and that he was afraid that it would get in the way of his dream to become a police detective. He was a good kid, so Zoro had helped him form a basic fitness routine, and he tried to encourage Coby whenever it seemed like the young man was starting to get discouraged by college stresses and persistent food cravings. “Have you talked to Garp yet about joining our gym?”

Coby nodded enthusiastically, “He agreed to let me join at a reduced rate if I come help clean the equipment at least once a week. I’ll be joining after acedemy! Thanks for putting in a good word for me, Zoro. I really owe you big time for all this.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Zoro shrugged off his coworker’s embarrassing gratitude, “By the way, have you seen Lu--”

“Zoro!” Nami stormed up to them with a stormy expression, “Have you clocked in yet?” When Zoro nodded silently she rolled her eyes in relief, “Oh thank fuck. Okay grab a mop and the hazardous materials kit. Some brat barfed all over the men’s room and tracked it out the door. I already took care of the sales floor but I am not dealing with that shitstorm in there.”

Zoro scowled. Vomit really was the worst. “I am not getting paid enough for this, Nami.”

She glared at him with her hands on her hips, “If you don’t get a move on you can be ‘paid’ nothing!”

“Fine, fine.” Zoro held up his hands placatingly. He still needed to talk to her about the schedule, but bringing it up when she was obviously in a bad mood was not a bright idea. He’d take the coward’s way out and leave a damn note in the office.

Coby spoke up, “I don’t mind tackling the restrooms, Zoro, if you’d rather be on the register.”

However, before Zoro had a chance to refuse the offer Nami interjected snappishly, “No. As soon as Luffy gets his ass here you and I are clocking out. We’re both overtime on the pay-schedule as it is!”

Zoro rolled his eyes before trudging off to get the fucking mop. It figured that the manager would be more upset about having to pay for overtime than all the other bullshit that happened here daily. After checking to see if Tony was behaving himself, Zoro got together all the cleaning supplies, slipped the cloth shoe-covers from the hazardous materials kit over his sneakers, and got to work.

It took almost forty minutes for Zoro to get the men’s room completely vomit-free. By the end of it he was exhausted, slightly nauseous, and thoroughly pissed off. He just didn’t feel clean even after scrubbing his hands and arms all the way up to his elbows. After rinsing off the mop and emptying the bucket in the back, Zoro made sure Tony was still okay before he went out to find Luffy flopped miserably over the edge of the cashier’s counter. “I’m finished with the bathroom, Lu. I can take over the register.”

Whining, Luffy pushed himself up off the counter, “Nami yelled at me today.”

Zoro teasingly flicked the brim of the store owner’s yellow ballcap as he went to log in to the register system, “That’s because you were almost an hour late to your shift, Lu.”

Luffy straightened his hat with a pout, “She didn’t have to be so mad! There were these cool ducks over by the canal, and I was feeding them bread and they kept trying to bite me!” Chuckling, Luffy headed for the freezer as he called back over his shoulder, “You should have seen them! They ate a whole loaf, and it was so funny!”

Rolling his eyes, Zoro muttered, “Fucking weirdo.” Honestly though he was a little bit jealous of those ducks. He hadn’t eaten since those few crust and leftover cereal from that morning, and he was hungry. During the week eating like that hadn’t been as bad since he’d spent his recovery time mostly lying around sleeping or coloring with Tony, but after teaching at the gym and jumping right into work at the Sunny Mart, Zoro was all too aware of how little he’d been eating. He already knew that he needed to spend as little on groceries as possible since he had missed so much work, and that he should be thinking about his son and his bills instead of food, but he couldn’t help wandering over to check and see if anything in the refrigerated case would be expiring that night.

Before he had the chance to sort out the old food into bags so that he could take some home - of course while also setting aside some for Luffy - a fucking bus-load of high-schoolers coming back from some sports competition descended on the store like a ravenous pack of hyenas. Zoro had to call Luffy out of the cooler to have him help out at their rarely-used second register, and after the rush of customers had passed Zoro had to clean up after the little shits. He swore that the shitty wannabe-jocks all had made an actual effort to fuck up the shelves as much as possible in their ruthless hunt for cheetos and reese's cups. However, balancing having to deal with customers; making sure that Luffy wasn’t eating any stock in the back room; and regularly checking on Tony; meant that it took Zoro hours to get the store back in order, and all the candy re-stocked. By that time he was frustrated and sore; his side aching constantly from too much bending and stretching while putting away products. At least he hadn’t had to sort out the delivery. Luffy had taken care of it - but that meant that he’d only had time to grab a pack of saltine crackers and make sure that Tony got his last sandwich and some water since Luffy needed him to watch the register. On top of everything, the steady customer traffic had vastly depleted the stock in the refrigerated case and Zoro had the sinking feeling that there might not be anything left to take home after all. Zoro consoled himself with the fact that there was only another hour to suffer before he could take the bus home and pass the fuck out.

Naturally that’s when that bastard, Sanji, walked in the door.

The blond didn’t even look up from his phone once as he strolled straight back to the coffee counter. Zoro cringed as he suddenly remembered that he hadn’t checked the carafes at all that night. He hurried over to wash his hands so he could brew a pot when he heard an all-too familiar sarcastic drawl from behind him, “I suppose you fucking forgot how to do your damn job while you were gone, because this shit has obviously been sitting out since the fucking dawn of time!”

Zoro glared at the blond fucker as he went about getting a new filter and measuring out the grounds. It seemed that Sanji being helpful last week had been some sort of anomaly - probably due to sunspot activity or some shit - and now the bastard was back to being his hateful, asshat self. “We were busy. Fuck off if you can’t wait five minutes.”

Sanji snorted, “Good to see you didn’t manage to learn any manners in your time off either.”

Sneering, Zoro set the coffee to brew, “And yet you still come here and pay for the shitty customer service.”

The tall blond leaned his ass against the coffee counter like he owned it and smirked, “At least you admit that you’re a shit employee.” 

Zoro flipped him off, and the fucker just laughed. Deciding to ignore the obnoxious blond, Zoro pulled out a box of sugar packets from under the back counter to refill the neglected container on the coffee display. He knew that if he didn’t Sanji would just end up bitching at him about it anyway. Zoro could feel the chef watching him, however the blond stayed mercifully silent - for a few minutes anyway.

“I’m glad you’re not coughing all over everything anymore, but you still look like hell.”

Scowling, Zoro folded the top of the sugar packets’ box closed, “What the fuck did I do to make you think that I care about your opinion?”

As he shoved the supply box in its place with more aggression than strictly necessary, Zoro noticed the blond cook watching him keenly with crossed arms, “You’ve really lost weight too. Have you been back to the doctor’s for a follow-up, because--”

The wannabe-chef-Boyardee had just pushed his last button, and Zoro marched over to growl in his face, “You are one sad motherfucker if all you do is come in here day after day to harass me. Get your own fucking life, and keep the fuck outta mi--”

“Daddy…?” 

Zoro felt his stomach drop in horror. He’d never wanted his kid to see him like this. Tony was staring up at him with confusion and uncertainty, and it instantly made Zoro feel like shit. Stepping back from Sanji - who was gaping at his son in shock - Zoro quickly tried to reassure his son, “I’m sorry, Chopper-buddy. I was having a disagreement with mister cook, here. But everything is okay.”

Tony’s worried gaze darted between the two men as he clutched his favorite coloring book to his chest, “Did you say sorry? You said we’re always supposed to ‘pologize when we yell.”

Zoro ground his teeth and glanced at the shitty blonde from the corner of his eye. Obviously Sanji had gotten over his momentary surprise, and the fucker was blatantly laughing behind one hand. Unwilling to sink to an even greater low in his ‘father-of-the-year’ rating, Zoro turned and faced Sanji seriously, “I’m sorry I lost my temper.”

“And said mean things!” Tony cheerfully added, coming over and grabbing Zoro’s hand.

Rolling his eyes, Zoro gave the blonde a wry smile, “And for saying mean things.”

Sanji smirked and stuck out his hand, “Apology accepted.”

It didn’t surprise Zoro one bit when the bastard didn’t ‘fess up to his own shitty behavior. However, he wasn’t about to lose his temper again in front of his son, so Zoro shook the fucker’s hand and just decided to ignore the issue for now. Turning back to his kid, he fondly tugged at Tony’s tangled mop of hair, “So what’s up, Tony-Tony? Did you need something?”

Tony nodded seriously, “Can I have more drink, daddy?”

“Yeah, buddy. Let’s get you some more water, okay?” Zoro guided Tony over to the fountain sodas. As he filled up a cup of ice-water for his son, Zoro was all-too aware of Sanji watching them. Distinctly uncomfortable with the attention, Zoro tried to put the cup lid on too quickly; spilling cold water on his pants and making Tony giggle.

Feeling unpleasantly damp and frustrated, he handed the little boy the cup and straw, “Okay, daddy has to go back to work; so you need to go back in the breakroom and color or read some more.”

Tony pouted, “But you said I could have candy!”

Zoro sighed in defeat. He had promised that earlier, and he really didn’t want to deal with one of Tony’s temper tantrums right now. Looking up, he saw that Sanji had finished dicking around with the coffee and was watching them with interest from beside the register. “Okay, Chopper-buddy. I’ll get you candy, but I need to finish something up real quick.” Placated by the promise of sweets, Tony agreeably followed Zoro behind the register counter where he stood at Zoro’s side, clutching his drink and watching Sanji with curiosity.

Slapping the damn blond’s cigarettes on the counter, Zoro impatiently waited for the bastard to pay. Sanji took his sweet time counting out his money before handing it over, “So you really are a dad, huh? Never pegged a hooligan like you to be a family man.”

Zoro grunted in absent-minded irritation as he thumbed through the bills. The cook let out an amused snort before addressing Tony, “So how old are you little man?”

Tony beamed and eagerly replied, “I’m six! What’s a ‘ooliggin?”

Sanji nodded solemnly, “They’re bad, angry people.”

“That’s not my daddy!” Tony glared up at the cook, “My daddy works so that we can have food and our ‘partment, and he always lets me sleep with him when I have bad dreams!” Zoro couldn’t help but feel pride in his son as Tony stared Sanji down - an impressively ballsy move for the little guy - as he defended Zoro fiercely, “My daddy is the best!”

Blinking in surprise, the blond was silent a moment before giving Tony a small smile, “Yeah that doesn’t sound like hooligan at all.” Sanji accepted the change Zoro shoved at him and hesitated a minute before grabbing a pack of twizzlers from the counter display and plopping them in front of the register. “I want these too.”

Zoro raised an eyebrow, but rang it up anyway. Who was he to argue if the shitty cook wanted to spend all his money in one place. Sanji paid for the candy with exact change, and then promptly walked off toward the front doors - leaving the candy on the counter. Confused, Zoro called after him, “Hey! Blondie, you forgetting something here?”

Sanji paused partway out the door and shook his head, “Give it to the little man.” Zoro was about to protest, but the cook held a shushing finger to his lips, “It’s for the trouble, okay? You’ve got a good kid.”

Feeling uncomfortable all over again, Zoro glanced down at Tony’s eager expression and fought the urge to chew his lip unhappily. He wanted to so badly tell this fucker off, but Tony had already seen the candy, and woe betide Zoro if the little guy didn’t get it now, “Fine. Tony, say thank you.”

“Thank you mister blondie!” Tony chirped out obediently as he set down his water on the edge of the counter and made grabby hands toward the candy.

Laughing, Sanji finally left, and Zoro couldn’t help but follow him with his eyes as the other man paused just outside the store to light up a cigarette from one of his new packs. The cook turned and waved at them through the shop window before getting into his expensive car and driving away into the night. Zoro helped Tony open his candy and ushered him back to the employee breakroom with his cup of water. After that he returned to the register and spent the rest of his shift puzzling over Sanji’s conflicting behavior.


End file.
